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 The United States recorded a total of at least 70,674 new COVID-19
infections on Friday after climbing by a record 77,499 a day
earlier, the largest increase posted by any country since the
pandemic started, according to a Reuters tally.
U.S. deaths on Friday rose by at least 912, the fourth day in a row
that fatalities have exceeded 900 a day.
In the state of Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp sued Atlanta's mayor to
prevent her from mandating masks.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a plan to offer both
in-person and remote instruction at the nation's third-largest
school district, over the objection of the teachers' union, which
wants remote learning only.
Americans have become divided along political lines over mask
orders, with conservatives more likely than liberals to call the
rules a violation of their Constitutional rights.
"Everybody saying that (wearing a mask) is a violation of their
freedom - no, it's not. Because a seatbelt is mandated and that's to
save your life," said Sharon Taylor, 48, a cardiothoracic nurse in
Atlanta.
With school set to resume in a few weeks, local officials across the
country have announced a variety of plans to resume teaching.
TRUMP SAYS WON'T ORDER MASKS
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who until now has allowed school
districts in the nation's most populous state to set their own
policies, said on Friday schools could reopen only in counties that
for 14 days have stayed off a worsening trends watch list.
As of Friday, 30 of the state's 58 counties were on the list and
schools there must remain closed. Among them are Los Angeles,
Sacramento and San Diego counties, accounting for nearly 40% of the
state's population.
The United States has been averaging about 60,000 cases a day in
July with cases rising in 41 states on Friday, based on a Reuters
analysis. Texas and Arkansas reported a record number of deaths on
Friday, while Kansas, Ohio, North Dakota and Puerto Rico reported
record numbers of infections.
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President Donald Trump has urged a return to normal, stressing the importance of
reigniting the economy. The Trump administration and some health experts argue
children are better off in classrooms for their development, and also to allow
parents to return to work.
Trump told Fox News on Friday he did not believe in implementing a national mask
mandate.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, urged
political leaders to "be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to
wear masks."
Miami Beach, Florida imposed an 8 p.m. curfew in its entertainment district
after social media posts showed maskless revelers crammed into restaurant
patios.
Oklahoma City's council voted in favor of an indoor mask requirement in the
absence of a statewide face-covering mandate.
In Georgia, Kemp - a Republican and Trump supporter - urged all Georgians to
wear masks for at least four weeks but said mandates were unenforceable and
suggested they would hobble the economy.
"Brian Kemp does the bidding of President Trump," Atlanta's Democratic Mayor
Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, told CNN on
Friday.
Louis Charles, 68, of Atlanta, sided with the mayor on Friday as he wore a mask,
all alone, sorting through his mail outside a post office.
"It's wrong," Charles said. "The mayor is trying to help people. This is a
pandemic. How much worse does he want it?"
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta, Peter Szekely, Rich McKay, Lisa Lambert, Lisa
Shumaker, Maria Caspani, Gabriella Borter, Andrew Hay, Liza Feria, Brendan
O'Brien and Dan Whitcomb; Writing by Daniel Trotta and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by
Rosalba O'Brien, Cynthia Osterman and Lincoln Feast.)
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