According to the Associated Press, the recent surge in infections and hospitalizations in Texas is behind Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order closing all bars again and scaled back restaurant dining Friday in the biggest retreat yet by any state.
“It is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars,” he said. “The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health.”
Texas has 17,000 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in the past three days, with a record high of nearly 6,000 on Thursday. The day’s tally of over 4,700 hospitalizations was also a record. The same can be said of Florida and Oklahoma, with both states recording record numbers of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, according to CBC Canada.
On Thursday, Arizona put on hold any further efforts to reopen the economy, with Republican Governor Doug Ducey saying the numbers “continue to go in the wrong direction.”
Florida’s governor said there was no plan to continue reopening step-by-step. “We are where we are. I didn’t say we were going to go on to the next phase,” Ron DeSantis told reporters on Thursday.
With all this bad news, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is estimating that the true number of cases in the United States is likely to be 10-times higher than what has been reported, according to the BBC.
Close to 20 million Americans may have been infected with the coronavirus, based on blood samples collected from across the country which were tested for the presence of antibodies to the virus. This surge in cases is being driven by young people who are testing positive, particularly in the west and south of the country, according to CDC Director, Dr. Robert Redfield.
