Story at a glance
- Many states began reopening against the advice of public health experts during the coronavirus pandemic.
- Now, new cases are spiking in some of these states, forcing them to shut back down.
- Some warn that it might be too late to effectively close the country back down.
At least 17 states are shutting back down — or at least pausing their reopening plans — as coronavirus cases spike in some parts of the United States. But experts are concerned that it might be too late.
“Unfortunately, it might be a little bit too little, too late,” Nikki Fried, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said on Fox Business this weekend. “People let down their guard, let down their sense of security, went out to the bars and restaurants, all these local establishments.”
Some of the states seeing an uptick in new cases and infections are now blaming private gatherings allowed under their reopening plans, including family barbecues in California and house parties in Florida.
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It is “critical” that Americans “take the personal responsibility to slow the transmission of COVID-19 and embrace the universal use of face coverings,” Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN.
Others, however, are concerned about the influx of travelers from heavily affected areas, especially ahead of Fourth of July weekend — and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says there is reason for worry.
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“I can’t make an accurate prediction, but it is going to be very disturbing, I will guarantee you that, because when you have an outbreak in one part of the country even though in other parts of the country they’re doing well, they are vulnerable,” Fauci said to the Senate Health Committee. “We can’t just focus on those areas that are having the surge. It puts the entire country at risk.”
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have begun asking visitors from certain states to self-quarantine, with fines as high as $10,000 in New York if you cause harm by spreading the infection. The list of states was expanded Tuesday to include California, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and Tennessee, all of which are states with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average.
Massachusetts announced a similar policy, asking all travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days unless they are essential workers or coming from Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Maine or New Hampshire.
BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
COUNTRIES LED BY WOMEN HAVE FARED BETTER AGAINST CORONAVIRUS. WHY?
MORE THAN 8.7 MILLION CORONAVIRUS CASES WENT UNDETECTED IN MARCH
EXPERTS: 90% OF CORONAVIRUS DEATHS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED
FAUCI PREDICTS ANOTHER CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN THE FALL WITH A ‘VERY DIFFERENT’ OUTCOME
TEXAS REPORTS SINGLE-DAY HIGH IN CORONAVIRUS DEATHS TWO WEEKS AFTER REOPENING
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