As Cases Climb Across U.S., Quarantine-Fatigued Leaders Promise They’re Better Equipped For Surge
Public health experts have been nervously eyeing climbing case and hospitalization counts, but there's little appetite from state leaders to reinstate strict lock-down measures. Media outlets look at where there are upticks and what states are doing in terms of reopening.
Politico:
Quarantine Fatigue: Governors Reject New Lockdowns As Virus Cases Spike
The coronavirus is spiking in more than a dozen states and intensive care beds are filling again, but several governors have no plans to reimpose shutdown measures or pause reopenings, a sign that the political will to take drastic measures has dissipated even as the virus is still raging. In Texas, where total cases have shot up by one-third in the last two weeks, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is moving ahead with plans to let virtually all businesses keep expanding capacity by the end of this week. (Ollstein and Goldberg, 6/10)
The Washington Post:
As Coronavirus Cases Rise Nationwide, Public Health Experts Urge Caution
When Gov. Doug Ducey allowed Arizona’s stay-at-home order to expire on May 15, 340 patients were in intensive care units statewide due to the novel coronavirus — the largest number since the beginning of the pandemic. Public health experts at the University of Arizona spent the week before publicly pleading with Ducey to postpone reopening, suggesting cases in the state were still projected to grow. About two weeks later, the maximum amount of time it takes the virus to incubate, Arizona began seeing a precipitous rise in cases and a flood of new hospitalizations, straining medical resources and forcing the state’s top medical official to reissue a March order urging all hospitals to activate emergency plans. (Janes, Stanley-Becker and Weiner, 6/10)
ABC News:
Tsunami Or Ripple? Forecasting The 2nd Wave Of Coronavirus
As some states see declining COVID-19 cases and gradually reopen, infectious disease experts warn that a second wave of COVID-19 is inevitable, though the extent of the resurgence remains unclear. The "second wave" of a pandemic refers to a recurrent rise of infections following an overall decline in spread from the initial cluster of cases. (Johnson, 6/11)
ABC News:
In Some States Coronavirus Hospitalizations On The Rise, Experts Point To Lack Of Social Distancing
Hospitalizations for the novel coronavirus are on the rise in at least eight states, in what experts and officials said was in part an expected consequence of states reopening their economies, but also made worse by some people who have begun to disregard social distancing guidelines and aren't appropriately wearing masks. The states in which the hospitalization numbers are increasing are Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, according to a new analysis by ABC News of public data from the past two weeks. (Rubin, Kim, Dukakis and Romero, 6/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Newsom Says No Turning Back On California Reopening Plans
California officials remain confident about the rapid reopening of the economy even as coronavirus deaths and new cases continue to rise, saying they have no plans now to slow the efforts. They said they expected cases to tick upward as businesses reopened but stressed the overall metrics still support the reopening strategy, which took another major step forward on Wednesday. (Shalby, 6/10)
The Hill:
Americans Divided On Return To Regular Routines: Poll
Americans are divided on returning to their regular routines about three months after the country shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a poll released Wednesday. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS found that 49 percent of respondents said they feel comfortable returning to their normal routines after the shutdowns, compared to 50 percent who say they do not. In May’s poll, 41 percent said they felt comfortable returning to regular life, and 58 percent said they did not. The level of comfort is split among partisan lines, with 73 percent of Republicans, 53 percent of independents and 23 percent of Democrats polled saying they are comfortable returning to regular life. (Coleman, 6/10)
NPR:
Coronavirus: Thousands Of Workers Say Their Jobs Are Unsafe As Economy Reopens
The past few months have weighed heavily on Edgar Fields. He's been meeting with workers at chicken processing plants around Georgia and nearby states. His union represents them, and many have become sick. Some have died. "You know, you lay in the bed and you can't sleep because stuff is on your mind? I've got to do this. I've got to do that," he says. "That's what I wake up in every morning thinking, what can I do to protect my members to where they have a safe work environment to go to?" (Arnold, 6/11)
CNN:
Grocery Stores And Universities Should Reopen First, New Research Suggests
New research suggests grocery stores, banks, dentists, universities and big box stores like Walmart should reopen earlier and face fewer restrictions as communities open up after pandemic lockdowns. The study, released on Tuesday, also determined that cafes, gyms, sporting goods stores, bookstores, tobacco and liquor stores should be kept closed until later. The researchers who took part in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology-led initiative did a cost benefit analysis of 26 different location types to determine what the tradeoff would be between someone's relative risk of getting infected during a visit and the importance of that establishment in that person's life and to the economy. (Christensen, 6/11)
The Hill:
Maryland To Lift Restrictions On Indoor Restaurants, Gyms, Casinos
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Wednesday lifted a host of COVID-19 restrictions in the biggest wave of reopenings to date in the state. Hogan said casinos, day cares, gyms, amusement parks, malls and indoor dining will all be able to resume with restrictions over the next 10 days. Hogan also urged local schools to schedule outdoor graduation ceremonies with capacity and distancing restrictions in place. (Weixel, 6/10)
The New York Times:
Libraries Strive To Stay ‘Community Living Rooms’ As They Reopen
In pockets of Virginia, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio, there are books sitting in quarantine. They are public library books that have been returned, and then spend at least three days sitting on tables or in big metal carts, carefully labeled with the dates they came in. After that, they can they go back on the shelves. Libraries around the country are tiptoeing toward reopening, but they’re not just trying to figure out how to safely lend out books. These are community hubs where parents bring their toddlers for story time, where people come to use the computer, where book groups meet. (Harris, 6/11)
The Washington Post:
Hogan Announces Wave Of Reopenings, Including Day Cares And Gyms, As Region Lifts More Restrictions
The Washington region is further reopening in the coming days, and although health officials warned that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, Maryland and Northern Virginia are letting more businesses resume after months of closures. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced Wednesday that the state’s day cares, gyms, malls, school buildings, casinos and amusement parks can reopen within the next 10 days — an extension of its Phase 2 reopening. Restaurants will be able to offer indoor dining with 50 percent capacity. (Wiggins, Cox, Sullivan and Hedgpeth, 6/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Day-Care Centers Are Reopening. Will Families Return?
As the hard-hit day-care industry prepares to reopen from its coronavirus shutdown, Dina Longo, like many parents around the country, is debating whether it is safe to send her 2-year-old daughter back to her New Jersey child-care center. The emergence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, a serious condition potentially associated with Covid-19 that has affected more than 30 children in New Jersey and over 200 in New York, has given her pause, Ms. Longo said. California, Washington and Louisiana have recorded cases as well. (De Avila and King, 6/10)
NBC News:
Coronavirus Is Making A Comeback In Arizona Three Weeks After Governor Lifted Stay-At-Home Order
Three weeks after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey lifted his stay-at-home order, the state has seen a big spike in the number of coronavirus cases.With nearly 1,100 dead and hospitalizations spiking rapidly, lawmakers and medical professionals are warning there might not be enough emergency room beds to handle what could be a big influx of new cases. More than 1,500 new cases were reported along with 25 new deaths in the past 24 hours, officials said. (Hillyard and Siemaszko, 6/10)
PBS NewsHour:
As Coronavirus Rises In Alabama, Experts Worry Over Lack Of ‘Guardrails’ In Reopening
Although Americans are trying to move closer to their pre-pandemic routines, there are signs the coronavirus continues to spread in places that have eased restrictions. One of those is Alabama, among the last states to issue a stay-at-home order and the earliest to lift it. (Yang, Baldwin and Buhre, 6/10)
Dallas Morning News:
Dallas County Reports 300 New Coronavirus Cases, Another Record Single-Day Increase
Dallas County reported 300 new coronavirus cases Wednesday — its highest single-day count — and three new deaths.The county has had a total of 12,945 and 274 deaths. The most recent fatalities included a Dallas woman in her 40s and a DeSoto man in his 70s who both had underlying health conditions, and a Garland woman in her 80s who was a resident of a long-term care facility. More than a third of COVID-19 deaths in the county have been associated with such facilities. (Jones and Branham, 6/10)
