In response to the recent surge in coronavirus cases, as many as seventeen US states have paused their reopening plans after a US Senate committee hearing held on Tuesday. Health officials have linked these rises in new coronavirus infections to a lack of personal responsibility among the residents of different states.
The vast majority in states that have recorded a high number of coronaviruses cases in the past few weeks was seen to no longer follow the official guidelines for the prevention of the infection.
For example, the health authorities in Michigan reported eighty-eight new cases of coronavirus all of which were traced to a single bar. The bar management did not require the customers to wear a mask neither complied with social distancing rules.
Therefore, not only was the space inside the bar jam-packed, but the customers also choose not to wear a mask even though there is little progress over the pandemic in Michigan.
Similarly, fifteen new cases of coronavirus were also linked to a single bar in the state of Florida, all of which were younger people who did not wear a mask while going out.
Wearing a mask and practicing social distancing are two of the most important measures needed to control coronavirus, according to health experts. If people choose to not follow these, it can lead to a surge in new infections, which is exactly what is happening in the US.
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As many of the states reopened at the beginning of June, people, especially those from younger age groups, did not follow preventive rules as strictly as before. This is why local health agencies in many states have deemed the reopening of bars, restaurants, and colleges as the primary contributors to the new coronavirus infections.
Overall, the US has become the country with the highest number of coronavirus cases. According to Johns Hopkins University, the country has recorded nearly 2.6 million cases and a death toll of 126,360.
On Monday, a total of fifteen US states have reported a record-high increase in new coronavirus infections in a span of a single week.
According to JHU data, ten out of these fifteen states including Tennessee, Florida, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, Idaho, Alaska, South Carolina, Alabama, and Texas have not mandated the practice of wearing a mask.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, emphasized the importance of wearing a mask in the recent US Senate committee hearings.
“Masks are extremely important,” said Fauci, “It’s people protecting each other. Anything that furthers the use of masks, whether it’s giving out free masks or any other mechanism, I am thoroughly in favor of.”
In the seventeen states changing or pausing reopening plans, many are shutting down bars, restaurants, and re-imposing a lockdown. For example, California has closed bars in seven counties and is planning to shut more in the coming weeks.
Additionally, Florida has also shut down bars and even ruled against alcohol consumption in bars and other places across the state, followed by Texas.
The rising number of new coronavirus infections is particularly concerning for the US as it has also started affecting its position internationally. The US has recently been excluded from the list of countries that can visit Europe in the latest list released by the EU on Tuesday.
