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 The moves by governors of states such as Florida and Arizona came as
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the United States could not
afford to let the novel coronavirus shut its economy again and
global stocks tanked on worries of a pandemic resurgence.
As Florida reported its highest daily tally of new coronavirus cases
on Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled a plan to restart public
schools at "full capacity" in the autumn, arguing the state's
economy depended on it.
North Carolina reported record COVID-19 hospitalizations for a fifth
straight day on Thursday, a day after legislators passed a bill to
reopen gyms, fitness centers and bars in a state where more than one
in ten workers are unemployed.
Governors of hotspot states face pressure to fire up economies
facing fiscal year 2021 budget shortfalls of up to 30% below
pre-pandemic projections in the case of New Mexico, according to
data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities think tank.
Nevada, which has seen cases increase by nearly a third in the past
two weeks, is suffering 28% unemployment, based on U.S Bureau of
Labor statistics.
"This is about saving lives, this is also about livelihoods in the
state of Arizona," Governor Doug Ducey told a news briefing, adding
that a second shutdown of the economy was "not under discussion"
despite official figures showing a 211% rise in virus cases over the
past 14 days.
About half a dozen states including Texas and Arizona are grappling
with rising numbers of coronavirus patients filling hospital beds.
Ducey and Texas Governor Greg Abbott say their hospitals have the
capacity to avoid the experiences of New York, where the system was
stretched to near breaking point as some COVID patients were treated
in hallways and exhausted workers stacked bodies in refrigerated
trailers.
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'FOOT ON THE BRAKE'
A second wave of coronavirus deaths is expected to begin in the
United States in September, the Institute for Health Metrics and
Evaluation said on Thursday, citing a surge in mobility since April.
Its latest model projects 170,000 deaths by Oct. 1, with a possible
range between 133,000 and 290,000.
A note of caution came from Utah, where Governor Gary Herbert said
most of the state would pause its reopening after a 126% rise in
cases over the past two weeks.
Austin, Texas on Thursday also said it would likely extend
stay-at-home and mask orders past June 15 after the state reported
its highest new case count the previous day. Austin health officials
blamed a record week of infections on easing business restrictions
and Memorial Day gatherings.
There was no talk of new shutdowns.
In New Mexico, Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel pointed to outbreaks at
the Otero County Prison Facility, as well as in nursing homes and
assisted living facilities, as factors behind an uptick in cases.
"It means a little bit of a foot on the brake, watch carefully for
the next couple of weeks, not much in the way of major changes in
what we're doing," said Human Services Secretary David Scrase.
(Reporting By Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Additional reporting
by Brad Brooks in Austin and David Schwartz in Phoenix; Editing by
Bill Tarrant and Daniel Wallis)
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