Top US expert hits out at states for lifting curbs

AMERICA’S leading infectious diseases expert has said some US states reopened too quickly from lockdown as the country hit hardest by the coronavirus posted a record 65,000 new cases.

Dr Anthony Fauci told FiveThirty Eight’s weekly podcast on Covid-19: “There are some times when, despite the guidelines and the recommendations to open up carefully and prudently, some states skipped over those and just opened up too quickly.”

Dr Fauci, a senior member of the White House coronavirus taskforce, added: “Certainly Florida I know, you know, I think jumped over a couple of checkpoints.”

He earlier told reporters: “Not to be hyperbolic about it — it really is the perfect storm and [an] infectious disease and public health person’s worst nightmare. The efficiency with which this transmits is really striking.”

There have been more than 3.2 million confirmed infections in the US since the outbreak began. Cases are rising in 36 states. The number dying with Covid-19 is also increasing, with an average of more than 900 for the past three days. Confirmed cases in Florida have soared recently, with an average of more than 9,000 a day. The average was below 1,000 a day until last month.

President Donald Trump has consistently tried to play down the rise in US cases saying they were due to increased testing. He tweeted: “For the 1/100th time, the reason we show so many Cases, compared to other countries that haven’t done nearly as well as we have, is that our TESTING is much bigger and better. We have tested 40,000,000 people. If we did 20,000,000 instead, Cases would be half, etc. NOT REPORTED!”

Meanwhile, residents in the virus-hit state of Victoria in Australia have been told to wear masks when outside after a record 288 new cases were recorded.

The state, which includes Melbourne, has banned international arrivals after breaches of hotel quarantine in Melbourne were blamed for Australia’s only widespread transmission of Covid-19.

Bolivia’s interim president Jeanine Anez and at least seven ministers have tested positive. In New Zealand police have been called in to guard quarantine hotels where people arriving in the country have been staying. It comes after a number of guests in the mandatory facilities left to go shopping. Hong Kong’s education officials said today they were shutting all schools from Monday after a spike in local cases.