COVID-19: the Southern States hit by an outbreak of cases

Since Tuesday, the mask-wearing has been made mandatory in Miami, and a dozen of cities in the region.

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June 24, 2020 14h10

Updated 22.08

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COVID-19: the Southern States hit by an outbreak of cases

Leila Macor

Agence France-Presse

MIAMI — Records of cases, increase in hospitalizations, sick young people, the southern United States, from Florida to California, has become the hot spot of the epidemic of coronavirus in the United States, leading to the return of restrictions.

A sign of this upsurge, the number of new infections day-to-day close to Wednesday from its record levels, with nearly 36, 000 cases in 24 hours.

With nearly 330 million people, the United States have the worst record in the world in absolute value : more than 120 000 people dead and more than 2.4 million cases are detected.

Nearly half of the 50 u.s. States have experienced an increase in the number of cases in the past two weeks, and some, such as Texas, Florida and California, now display the daily records in the number of cases reported.

Very hard hit by the COVID-19 at the beginning of the epidemic in the United States, New York and New Jersey as well as Connecticut neighbor, decreed Wednesday a quarantine for people coming from the States where the pandemic is accelerating.

Texas, which had quickly begun his déconfinement the beginning of may, has registered on Wednesday 5 551 new infections. The number of hospitalizations has doubled during the last month and the hospitals are afraid of being overwhelmed.

“If we are unable to slow the progression in the coming weeks, we will need to review the extent to which shops can stay open,” warned the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott.

“Because if it is not contained in the two coming weeks, it will escape all control,” insisted the elected republican, encouraging all those who have to go out to wear a mask, without having made it mandatory in his State.

Epidemiologist Rebecca Fischer believes that the peak of infections is still far. Measures that limit the spread of the virus should “ideally” be in place “for as long as possible”, she explains to theAFP.

Symptom of the resurgence of the epidemic, the brand Apple has decided to temporarily close seven stores in the Houston area, where the number of cases of COVID-19 flies. Apple had already closed a dozen shops in Florida, North Carolina and the South, and in Arizona last week.

“Explosion” youth

In Florida, the images of swimmers returning on the wide beaches of Miami, closed for nearly three months due to the pandemic, had done the world tour with their re-opening on 10 June, marking the hope for a return to “normality”.

But Wednesday, the State tourism has also registered a new record of new infections (5 508). He had spent Monday, the bar 100 000 detected cases of coronavirus.

Since Tuesday, the mask-wearing has been made mandatory in this great seaside city of Miami, and a dozen of cities in the region. This was already the case since last week to Orlando, Tampa, or the famous islands of the Keys.

Governor Ron DeSantis has complained about the “veritable explosion of new cases among young people”. And to add a serious caution in this high place of the party: the bars and restaurants not following the rules of distance are at risk of losing their licenses for sale of liquor.

The situation has even pushed this fierce supporter of Donald Trump to take the opposite view of the american president, declaring for the first time Saturday that the increase in the volume of screening could not be the only explanation for the peak of infections.

California also has set a new record for the third consecutive day Wednesday, with more than 7 100 new cases were reported on nearly 200 000 in total.

“We can’t continue as we have done in recent weeks (…). Some of us have had a little bit of amnesia, others have frankly dropped the guard,” warned the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, pointing to risk-taking behaviors.

The mask-wearing has now become mandatory in public throughout the State, where Disneyland has had to postpone sine die the re-opening of its famous amusement park near Los Angeles. The date of 17 July, had initially been envisaged.

Arizona neighbor has also reached a new peak on Tuesday.

More than eight beds, ten intensive care unit were occupied at the beginning of the week (84%) and the number of cases has been multiplied by four since the lifting of the containment 15 may.

To the immunologist-in-chief of the White House, Anthony Fauci, “the next two weeks will be critical” to combat these flare-ups “of concern”. With Julia BENARROUS in Houston

Le Soleil