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Texas Mandates Face Coverings as Coronavirus Cases Surge
https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronav...d=hp_lead_pos2
California announces new restrictions affecting 70% of population; India extends food-aid program through November
By and David HallUpdated July 2, 2020, 5:32 pm ET
A National Guard member screened residents waiting in line Wednesday to receive a Covid-19 test in Odessa, Texas.
Photo: Eli Hartman/Associated Press
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order requiring face coverings as the coronavirus crisis intensified in the state and new infections in the U.S. passed 50,000 for the first time, a single-day record.
The U.S. accounts for about a quarter of more than 10.7 million coronavirus cases world-wide, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. A total of 50,655 cases were reported Wednesday in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins. As the nation prepared to observe the Fourth of July, the pandemic death toll climbed above 128,000.
While the U.S. has the world’s highest number of fatalities, its percentage of fatal cases—4.8%—isn’t the highest. With more than 39 deaths per 100,000 population, however, the death rate per capita is among the top 10 countries in the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins.
After earlier prohibiting local jurisdictions from imposing mask mandates, Mr. Abbott issued the order Thursday requiring residents to wear a face covering in public. The state has seen weeks of climbing Covid-19 cases. “Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Mr. Abbott said.
Daily reported Covid-19 cases in the U.S.
Note: For all 50 states and D.C., U.S. territories and cruises. Last updated
Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering
Daily reported Covid-19 deaths in the U.S.
Notes: For all 50 states and D.C., U.S. territories and cruises. Some fluctuation in data, such as the June 25 spike, is due to states revising criteria for deaths due to Covid-19. Last updated
Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering
The order applies in counties with 20 or more positive Covid-19 cases. It also gives local officials the ability to impose restrictions on outdoor gatherings with more than 10 people.
The number of coronavirus cases in Texas jumped more than 34% over the past week, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. There are now more than 172,000 coronavirus cases across the state, and 6,904 patients are in hospitals with the disease, according to the state’s Department of Health. For most of April and May, that number hovered between 1,100 and 1,800. It broke the 2,000 mark June 8.
Citing rising cases in his city, Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the city would go to an altered version of phase two of its reopening plan, back down from phase three, which began last Monday.
“To slow the spread of #COVID19 and prioritize the health and safety of Nashvillians, we made specific modifications by reviewing our data from contact tracing,” he wrote in a tweet. Mr. Cooper also said city’s firework display for July Fourth would be canceled.
The Fourth of July is shaping up to become a worrisome time for many public officials. A resurgence of cases has led to calls for caution and many last-minute cancellations of festivities. Authorities have closed beaches in parts of Florida and California for the holiday weekend. And in New York, the annual Macy’s Inc. fireworks show is taking place as five-minute displays throughout the week in unannounced locations to prevent viewers from congregating.
Adhering to orders from the city and county, Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina said his department would be issuing warnings and fines to people who weren’t wearing masks. On Wednesday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez required facial coverings in all public indoor and outdoor spaces.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told a Senate committee Tuesday that coronavirus cases in the U.S. could “go up to 100,000 a day” if people continue to flout advice on social distancing and face masks. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg News
The Marion County Public Health Department, which covers the city of Indianapolis, also has required masks or face coverings of its residents when out in public, starting July 9.
“This isn’t complicated. It’s a piece of cloth that could save your life and the lives of those around you. And it is the right thing to do,” Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said Thursday in a video press conference.
Cases and hospitalizations have jumped in a number of areas.
In Texas, 6,904 Covid-19 patients were in hospitals, according to the state’s Department of Health. For most of April and May, that number hovered between 1,100 and 1,800. It broke the 2,000 mark on June 8.
The percentage of occupied intensive-care-unit beds in Arizona, another hot spot, remained at a high of 89% for a second day. On Thursday, the state reported nearly 3,300 new cases, for a total of 87,425. More than 10% of its daily tests were positive.
In California, where hospitalizations are up more than 40% from two weeks ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new restrictions, including the mandatory closure of bars, indoor restaurants, movie theaters, zoos, and museums in 19 counties where 70% of the state’s population lives.
Monitoring the U.S. Outbreak
Confirmed cases by state, ranked by latest full-day count
Daily confirmed cases per 100,000 residents
Note: Trend indicates whether a state had an increase or decrease in the total number of cases in the past seven days compared with the previous seven days. Last updated
Sources: Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering; the Lancet; Associated Press; U.S. Census
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that the city was “full steam ahead” for classes to resume in September in the nation’s largest school system, with masks and social distancing in place. Education officials say it is unclear how much of the reopening will consist of in-person instruction.
Neighboring New Jersey said schools would reopen in the fall with some remote learning, while Connecticut said students would return for full-time, in-person instruction in the fall. New York state hasn’t yet completed reopening plans.
New York state recorded 875 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, equal to a 1.25% positive test rate. Hospitalizations fell to 878.
Health officials look at a variety of metrics, including new cases, percent of positive test results, hospitalizations and deaths to gauge the level of spread in an area. Infectious-disease epidemiologists caution that deaths typically lag behind other indicators, as the disease often progresses over the course of weeks in the most severe cases.
Some major companies were also re-evaluating their plans amid the surge in new cases.
Apple Inc., which had been reopening many of its 270 stores in the U.S., said it would temporarily close dozens as the pandemic worsened in certain regions. As of Wednesday, Apple said it had closed 16 locations, with 30 more to close by Thursday.
McDonald’s Corp. said it would pause the reopening of dine-in service in the U.S. The company said it would be three weeks before any further U.S. restaurants would add dine-in to its drive-through, takeout and delivery operations.
Closures and delays could hamper a nascent recovery in the labor market. The jobless rate fell to 11.1% last month from 13.3% in May, as the U.S. regained 4.8 million jobs. The unemployment rate remains at historically high levels, but U.S. stocks jumped on the improved figures.
Outside the U.S., several countries reported rises in new cases.
India, struggling to contain the virus’s spread, reported 19,148 new cases, pushing up the tally of total infections to 604,641, data from the Health Ministry showed. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country would extend through November a program to provide free staple grains and pulses to 800 million people.
South Africa also reported a record increase in new cases, after 8,124 people tested positive for the virus Wednesday. Africa’s most developed economy now has 159,333 confirmed coronavirus cases, more than half of the total detected on the continent.
In Tokyo, new cases topped 100 for the first time since May 2. The new infections were mainly in people in their 20s and 30s and many were linked to nighttime entertainment districts, according to the Tokyo government.
Chinese health authorities on Thursday reported just one confirmed case of local coronavirus transmission for the previous day, signaling that a recent wave of infections in Beijing has largely come under control.
Australia’s total number of cases topped 8,000, after Victoria state, which this week placed some areas under lockdown, reported 77 new infections over the past 24 hours—nearly all of the 86 new cases reported nationally. The lockdowns in 10 areas of Melbourne affect more than 300,000 people.
In France, Health Minister Olivier Véran said that more than 200 clusters had been identified since the easing of the national lockdown on May 11, but that the situation was “under control.”
Write to Talal Ansari at Talal.Ansari@wsj.com and David Hall at david.hall@wsj.com
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