Governor of Texas closes bars for a SECOND time and Florida follows suit while Arizona tells residents to stay home as all three states battle record spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations
Texas and Florida are forcing bars to close for the second time and Arizona's residents are being told to stay home as the states scramble to contain outbreaks amid record spikes in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Governor Greg Abbott gave bars in Texas until midday on Friday to close down, while Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation told bars to immediately stop serving alcohol on their premises.
The abrupt announcements marked a major step back by both states less than two months after aggressively reopening and becoming the first in the United States to lift lockdown measures.
Abbott, who allowed bars to reopen in May when thousands of revelers flouting social distancing rules celebrated Memorial Day weekend, forced them to close again from Friday and scaled back restaurant dining to 50 percent capacity - the most dramatic reversals yet as confirmed coronavirus cases surge.
He also said rafting and tubing outfitters on Texas' popular rivers must close and that outdoor gatherings of 100 people or more must be approved by local governments.
The Florida agency that governs bars also said Friday the consumption of alcohol at bars across the state would be prohibited immediately as daily infections soared to nearly 9,000 - shattering the daily tolls from the previous two days.
Coronavirus cases are climbing rapidly among young adults in a number of states where bars, stores and restaurants have reopened. Young people have started going out again, many without masks, in what health experts see as irresponsible behavior.
The number of infections across the US rose by nearly 40,000 on Thursday in the largest single-day increase since the pandemic started. Deaths from COVID-19 neared 125,000 on Friday.
TEXAS: Texas Governor Greg Abbott gave bars in the state until midday on Friday to close down as officials scramble to contain outbreaks amid record spikes in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Pictured above is the crowded Handlebar in Houston, Texas last month
FLORIDA: Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation told bars to immediately stop serving alcohol on their premises on Friday. Pictured is Lynch's Irish Pub in Jacksonville Beach where several people tested positive for the virus after going to the bar
Bar owner Petros J Markantonis changes the sign outside his bar to 'Closed Again' at the West Alabama Ice House in Houston, Texas on Friday after Gov Abbott forced them to close again
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the surge in new cases is down to increased testing. He tweeted Thursday night that deaths are 'way down' and that America's mortality rate was 'one of the lowest in the world'.
Health officials have warned that while deaths appear to be declining, it could potentially shoot back up again because fatality rates often lag behind infection rates.
Texas had been at the forefront of states peeling away restrictions designed to control the deadly pandemic and kickstart their economies again. Gov Abbott allowed bars to reopen in May when revelers flouting social distancing rules celebrated Memorial Day weekend.
Governor Greg Abbott gave bars in Texas until midday on Friday to close down. Texas had been at the forefront of states peeling away restrictions designed to control the deadly pandemic and kickstart their economies again. Gov Abbott allowed bars to reopen in May when revelers flouting social distancing rules celebrated Memorial Day weekend
It has since witnessed one of the biggest increases in new cases in the US after reporting a record 5,996 on Thursday and more than 17,000 confirmed new cases in the last three days. The state has seen a record number of hospitalizations for 13 straight days.
Under the newest rollbacks in Texas, bars must close from noon on Friday and restaurant dining rooms must scale back to half capacity starting on Monday. Gov. Abbott did not say when bars might reopen again. The bars that are affected are ones that get 51 percent of their gross receipts from alcohol.
The shuttering of rafting and tubing businesses comes after people consistently packed waterways since the state reopened in May and ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend that typically sees big turnouts.
'As I said from the start, if the positivity rate rose above 10%, the State of Texas would take further action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,' Abbott said. 'At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars.'
The state's rolling infection rate hit nearly 12 percent, a level not seen since the state was in a broad lockdown in mid-April.
The surge in hospitalizations has resulted in the largest pediatric hospital in the country opting to start treating adult patients in Houston to help free up beds. Statewide, the number of COVID-19 patients has more than doubled in two weeks.
The spike in cases prompted officials in Harris County, which encompasses the city of Houston, to initiate another stay-at-home order for residents.
TEXAS CASES: Texas has reported more than 17,000 confirmed new cases in the last three days with a record high positive tests of 5,996 on Thursday
TEXAS HOSPITAL: The day's tally of 4,739 hospitalizations was also a record. The state's rolling infection rate hit nearly 12 percent, a level not seen since the state was in a broad lockdown in mid-April
TEXAS DEATHS: Deaths spiked to 47 on Thursday in Texas compared to the record 58 on May 15
FLORIDA: The state has reported 8,942 new coronavirus cases, which is up from the previous record for a single-day increase of 5,508 cases on Wednesday. In total, the state has reported 122,960 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and at least 3,366 coronavirus-related deaths
The turnaround from Abbott came soon after he announced on Thursday that he was halting elective surgeries in the largest counties and said the state would 'pause' its aggressive reopening weeks after he began lifting restrictions.
His initial pause on reopening was not supposed to roll back previous orders that allowed much of the economy to reopen. The state was among the first in the country to begin lifting its lockdown measures on May 1.
Until this week, Abbott had maintained that worsening trends in June were a matter of concern but not alarm. He quickly struck a newly urgent tone this week, urging people to stay home while warning that a 'massive outbreak' is sweeping through Texas.
He has also now urged Texans to wear masks in public but stopped short of issuing a statewide mask order. The state's cities and counties have imposed new orders on businesses to require customers and workers to wear face coverings after Abbott initially prohibited local officials from fining or penalizing anyone for not wearing a mask.
Florida officials also announced on Friday that the consumption of alcohol at bars across the state was now prohibited as daily infections soared to nearly 9,000 - shattering the daily tolls from the previous two days.
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which governs bars in Florida, said it was suspending on premises consumption of alcohol at bars statewide.
The state has reported 8,942 new coronavirus cases, which is up from the previous record for a single-day increase of 5,508 cases on Wednesday.
In total, the state has reported 122,960 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and at least 3,366 coronavirus-related deaths. Florida's seven-day average positivity rate for coronavirus tests reached 14.4 percent this week. By comparison, it was 3.8 percent on June 1 and 2.3 percent on May 25.
TEXAS: Revelers crowded into this Whiskey Tango Foxtrot bar in Austin, Texas last month after Gov Abbott initially lifted restrictions
Under the newest rollbacks in Texas, bars must close from noon on Friday and restaurant dining rooms must scale back to half capacity starting on Monday. Pictured above are two packed bars in Austin, Texas last month
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis resisted calls again on Friday to mandate masks statewide.
'We are where we are,' DeSantis said, adding that many of the new cases are in younger, healthier people who are out socializing more.
He said people can avoid spreading the virus by wearing masks, along with avoiding big crowds and not being within close quarters with lots of other people indoors.
Arizona Gov Doug Ducey, also a Republican, is also telling residents to stay home and on Thursday declared the state was 'on pause' as hospitals accelerate toward capacity.
The number of infections in Arizona surged again on Thursday with just over 3,000 new cases reported. In Arizona, 23 percent of tests conducted over the past seven days have been positive, nearly triple the national average.
There are currently 4,400 people hospitalized in the state with coronavirus and 1,400 of those are in ICU beds. A record 415 patients are on ventilators in the state.
Arizona is nearing hospital bed capacity with 88 percent of ICU beds occupied as of Thursday.
In Arizona, Ducey had resisted pressure to close restaurants as the virus first spread back in March, saying the state wasn't seeing explosive growth like New York and didn't need to act so aggressively. The Democratic mayors of Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff and elsewhere imposed their own restrictions.
The governor responded with an executive order closing restaurants in counties with known coronavirus infections but also defining some businesses cities couldn't restrict, including golf courses.
Last week, under extreme pressure to act as COVID-19 cases soar, Ducey gave local leaders the power to require masks, while avoiding making it a statewide mandate.
The numbers 'continue to go in the wrong direction,' Ducey said on Thursday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has warned of another potential lockdown due to surging cases in his state. He said he would only shut down businesses again if the health care system became seriously strained.
In California, 5,349 new cases were reported on Thursday - down from the record 7,100 new cases a day earlier. Hospitalizations have also reached record highs across the state with about 1,500 suspected or confirmed patients requiring intensive care.
While Newsom said part of the rise was due to testing, much is the result of people failing to engage in safe practices when gathering with friends and family, or visiting newly reopened businesses.
Los Angeles County now has the most cases of all US counties with more than 85,000 confirmed infections. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti this week urged residents to stay home and wear masks while out in public.
As an alarming coronavirus resurgence sets records for confirmed cases and hospitalizations across the South and West, governors are retreating to measures they once resisted and striking a more urgent tone.
'I think they're going to have to,' said Dr Mark McClellan, former head of the Food and Drug Administration. 'It doesn't take most people in a community getting sick to overwhelm health care systems.'
Critics bristle that the actions are too little, or worse, possibly too late as patients fill up intensive-care beds and the US closes in on hitting all-time highs for daily confirmed cases.
While newly confirmed infections have been declining steadily in early hot spots like New York and New Jersey, several other states set single-day records this week, including Arizona, California, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas and Oklahoma. Some of them also broke hospitalization records, as did North Carolina and South Carolina.
ARIZONA CASES: The number of infections in Arizona surged again on Thursday with just over 3,000 new cases reported
ARIZONA DEATHS: Arizona recorded 27 new deaths on Thursday, compared to the 67 deaths recorded on May 8
ARIZONA HOSPITALS: There are currently 4,400 people hospitalized in the state with coronavirus and 1,400 of those are in ICU beds
ARIZONA ICU CAPACITY: Arizona is nearing hospital bed capacity with 88 percent of ICU beds occupied as of Thursday
CALIFORNIA: In California, 5,349 new cases were reported on Thursday - down from the record 7,100 new cases a day earlier. Hospitalizations have also reached record highs across the state with about 1,500 suspected or confirmed patients requiring intensive care
Governor of Texas closes bars for a SECOND time and Florida follows suit while Arizona tells residents to stay home as all three states battle record spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations
![Governor of Texas closes bars for a SECOND time and Florida follows suit while Arizona tells residents to stay home as all three states battle record spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations]()
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June 27, 2020
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