Texas and Florida impose new restrictions in response to renewed pandemic

The rapid increase in the rate of contamination with the new coronavirus in the south of the United States worries the American health authorities. As a sign of concern over the spread of the epidemic, the Presidential Crisis Cell on the virus held a press conference at the White House on Friday June 26 for the first time since late April.

Vice President Mike Pence tried to reassure the Americans, saying it had nothing to do with the start of the pandemic in the northeast of the country in March and April. "About half of the new cases are Americans under the age of 35, which is encouraging news," said Mike Pence. “We are in a much better position. The truth is that we slowed down the transmissions, we flattened the curve, " assured the vice-president.

He called on young Americans to follow physical distance and hygiene guidelines, but he did not mention wearing the mask. He also defended the organization of campaign rallies by President Donald Trump on behalf of the " freedom of expression ".

A "serious problem in certain areas"

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the American Institute of Infectious Diseases, tempered the vice president's remarks: "We have a serious problem in certain areas", said the scientist, who wears a mask in public, unlike MM. Pence and Trump. "Sooner or later, even regions that are doing well will become vulnerable", he predicted, arguing for an increase in the number of screening tests to identify asymptomatic cases in targeted neighborhoods or cities.

In an interview with Washington Post Anthony Fauci said on Friday that the United States should change its approach to stem the Covid-19 pandemic, which is in full swing in a large part of the country. "There is something wrong (…). We can make as many tables as we want, it will always remain that it does not work. "

The increase has been continuous for two weeks in 30 of the 50 states of the country, in particular in the largest and most populated of the South and the West, California, Texas and Florida. Many have even broken their record of new daily cases since the start of the pandemic. Only the Northeast, the New York area, and to a lesser extent the Midwest, along with the Chicago area, manage to keep the virus under control.

Texas case explosion

Texas said it had recorded more than 17,000 new confirmed cases in the past three days, with a record of nearly 6,000 cases Thursday. The number of hospitalizations recorded that day, more than 4,700, was also a record.

The resurgence of the disease in Texas (29 million inhabitants) is emblematic because it is one of the states to have reopened very early, from 1^er May, weeks before the Northeast. Texan bars reopened on May 22. On Friday, five weeks later, in the face of the rampant epidemic and the influx of patients into hospitals, the governor ordered their closure.

"It is clear that the increase in the number of cases is largely due to certain types of activities, in particular to the Texans who gather in bars", said Greg Abbott, asking the Texans for yet another time to respect physical distancing. Authorities in Harris County, which includes Houston, want to ask the governor to order the containment back, local press reports said.

Disease Affects Young People In Florida

In Florida, the number of infections exploded in June after the containment ended. And the disease mainly affects young people: the average age of those infected is 33, compared to 65 two months ago. In the state, 9,000 cases were reported on Friday, overshadowing the previous record of 5,500 cases on Wednesday.

State authorities have announced that alcohol consumption will now be prohibited on the premises in bars, with immediate effect. Governor Ron DeSantis, who had been very slow to put in place containment measures in March, said this week that his state was facing a "Real explosion" youth and warned places that sell alcohol that they could lose their license if they did not enforce physical distancing.

Debates around wearing a mask

Among the other measures debated in the country is that of wearing a mask. California decided it last week, particularly in commerce and transportation, followed by North Carolina and Nevada this week, which will apply to casinos in Las Vegas on Friday.

But in states with a conservative tendency, resistance is great. Even in California, Orange County opposes the governor on the issue. In Texas, the governor encourages his citizens to cover their faces, but has so far refused to make an order.

"If we don't test, we won't have a case," says Trump.

"We have more cases because we are testing more. If we don’t test, we won’t have a case, ” President Donald Trump attacked Fox News again on Thursday. "What they don't say is that we've never had fewer deaths, it's very, very declining. " But hospital admissions are on the rise, a clear sign that the epidemic is progressing.

On Friday, the White House announced, without explanation, that Donald Trump would not be traveling to New Jersey, where he had planned to spend the weekend at his Bedminster golf club. Judd Deere, executive spokesperson, simply said that the decision had no effect. " nothing to see " with quarantine recommendations decreed by the Governor of New Jersey for anyone who has traveled to a state where Covid-19 figures are on the rise. Donald Trump visited Arizona on Tuesday, one of the states where the indicators are red.

Thursday at 10 p.m., the United States (122,238 deaths for 2,398,491 cases) had registered more than 37,000 new cases and 692 additional deaths in twenty-four hours, according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) ).