 |
| The Mankind Figure of Youth statue at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan is seen adorned with a face mask, in New York City, New York |
The city of Chicago reimposed some coronavirus restrictions on Monday and the state of Florida reported more than 10,000 new cases for the sixth day in a row, as the pandemic continued to rage across the United States.
In a rare ray of hope, New York state reported the fewest hospitalizations from the coronavirus in four months and New York City entered a new phase of reopening on Monday. But the progress, in the very city and state that were once the epicenter, was eclipsed by the grim news nearly everywhere else.
New York state recorded only eight deaths on Sunday while the total number of people hospitalized for the disease fell to 716, the fewest since March 18, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
But metrics for the country as a whole have grown worse. Thirty-two states have reported record increases in COVID-19 cases in July while 15 states have reported record increases in deaths. Deaths, hospitalizations and rates of positive test results continue to climb.
The virus has killed 140,000 people in the United States and infected some 3.7 million, both figures leading the world.
Florida reported 10,347 new cases on Monday, the sixth day in a row the state has announced over 10,000 new infections. Another 92 people died in Florida, increasing the stateโs death toll to 5,183.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced new restrictions due to take effect on Friday including a ban on indoor service at bars and shutdown of personal services such as shaves and facials that require the removal of masks.
โWhile we arenโt near the peak of the pandemic from earlier this year, none of us wants to go back there,โ Lightfoot said in a statement.
The city of Los Angeles is on the brink of issuing a new stay-at-home order and at least 14 states have reported record hospitalizations so far in July, including Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas.
With school due to resume in August or September, many educators across the country are offering only remote learning or limited in-class instruction.
Californiaโs high school sports authority postponed sports such as football that normally start in September until December or January, altering a rite of passage for American youth.
Meanwhile, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for schools to reopen in a few weeks and resisting a federal mandate that people wear masks in public, part of what Cuomo called an โincompetentโ federal government response.
โIโve said to the president from Day One: This virus does not respond to politics,โ Cuomo told a news conference. โThe solution is medicine and science.โ
The country remained โtotally unprepared,โ Cuomo said, as other states lagged in testing, contact tracing and personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses.
On Monday Trump, under fire over his administrationโs response to the surging virus, said he would on Tuesday resume holding news briefings on the pandemic after a lengthy hiatus.
White House debate has centered on whether Trump should risk doing daily briefings after he was mocked for musing that people might inject household disinfectants as a way to protect themselves from contracting the virus.
Trump denied trying to play down the danger in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, blaming China for allowing the virus to escape and criticizing experts for being wrong in their early analysis of the outbreak.
REUTERS
