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 Governor Gavin Newsom's order for bars to close in Los Angeles and
six other counties followed moves by Texas and Florida to shut all
their bars on Friday. Public health officials in California and
throughout the United States have identified bars as the riskiest
non-essential businesses currently open.
Consuming alcohol reduces inhibitions, which leads to less
mask-wearing and social distancing, health officials warn. Patrons
in noisy bars often shout, which spreads droplets more widely.
The surge in cases has been most pronounced in Southern and Western
states that did not follow health officials' recommendations to wait
for a steady decline in cases before reopening. More than 2.5
million people have tested positive for the new coronavirus in the
United States and more than 125,000 have died, the most in the
world.
For a third consecutive day on Saturday, the number of confirmed
U.S. cases leapt by more than 40,000, one of the world's largest
surges. In many states, people under 35 accounted for a large
percentage of new cases. More tests are also coming back positive,
up to 25% in some areas.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar warned on CNN that
"the window is closing" for the country to get the pandemic under
control.
Even in states where cases have been declining, bars have been a
source of outbreaks. One bar in East Lansing, Michigan, has been
linked to more than 85 cases, and local health officials say that
number is likely to rise.
WEAR A MASK
Some beaches in Florida are also closing ahead of the July 4
Independence Day holiday weekend, which would have drawn large
crowds.
In Arizona, cases have risen by 267% this month and jumped by a
record 3,857 on Sunday, the eighth record-breaking increase this
month. Georgia reported a record increase of 2,225 cases on Sunday.
Fifteen states, including California, Florida and Texas, saw record
rises in cases last week.
Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday canceled events to campaign
for Republican President Donald Trump's re-election in Florida and
Arizona because of the outbreak.
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On Sunday, Pence traveled to Texas, where he told a news conference that
Americans should wear masks. "We encourage everyone to wear a mask in the
affected areas," Pence said. "Where you can't maintain social distancing,
wearing a mask is just a good idea, especially young people."
Pence also attended a service at a church where a 100-member choir sang without
masks, something health officials have warned can lead to the spread of the
virus and COVID-19, the illness it causes. A video showed Pence - who has
defended Trump's refusal to ask all Americans to wear masks in public - in the
audience wearing a face covering.
In March, a church choir in Washington gathered for a rehearsal before the state
issued a stay-at-home order. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said
87% of the singers were infected. Two died.
Global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday according to a Reuters
tally, a major milestone in the pandemic. The global death toll exceeded half a
million in seven months, another grim marker. (Link: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-deaths/global-coronavirus-deaths-top-half-a-million-idUSKBN23Z0UQ
)
(GRAPHIC-Tracking the novel coronavirus in the U.S. -
https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-USA/0100B5K8423/index.html)
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento and Lisa Shumaker in Chicago;
Additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington and Maria Caspani in New
York; Writing by Lisa Shumaker and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Daniel Wallis
and Grant McCool)
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