With Latest Surge Of COVID-19 Infections And Cases, Is U.S. Heading For Another Lockdown?

On Thursday, the United States set a daily record for new COVID-19 cases causing some health officials to fear a return to the soaring number of Coronavirus cases back in April, with infections now spiking across Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.

The second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic is hitting the United States hard with 26 states reporting an increase of COVID-19 cases over the past week and the numbers only become more alarming from there. 

As June draws to a close, there have reportedly been more than 9.4 million Coronavirus cases worldwide cases and more than 2.3 million cases and at least 121,996 virus-related deaths in the United States, according to research from John Hopkins University. Texas announced on Thursday that the State had recorded more than 5,996 new cases of COVID-19, which set a new daily record previously held at 5,000. The figures have all pointed to an “apocalyptic surge” in metro areas and a pause in the reopening phases throughout Texas, with Florida and California also feeling the ill effects from health officials seeing increases in both infections and hospitalizations. 

Delaware has also announced that they are pushing back their Phase 3 plan to reopen parts of the state. Just days before it was set to go into effect, Delaware Governor John Carney announced that Delaware is delaying the next step in reopening, so they can better examine why some of the population are not taking the resurgence of the Coronavirus pandemic to heart.  

With the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reporting that up to 20 million Americans may have been infected with Coronavirus, states like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts rank the most effective in containing the spread of COVID-19 and are no longer seeing a high number of daily new infections.

One thing is for certain: this isn’t the time to downplay the virus and its impact. It’s something we’ve experienced first hand in working with healthcare professionals and essential workers to ensure they are protected, day in and day out. The world has already seen the tragic and deadly results of not taking COVID-19 seriously. 

While Coronavirus cases are rising in states like Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, some parts of the country are showing a welcomed decline. In New Jersey, the curve has flattened significantly since peaking in April and has remained flat for weeks even with testing expanding across the state. This week, New Jersey also joined New York and Connecticut in issuing a travel advisory, recommending travelers from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington observe a 14-day quarantine upon their arrival. Along with New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, Massachusetts joins in as receiving positive marks in containing COVID-19. Whereas these four states initially reported a high infection rate, they also took practical and protective measures toward closures, social distancing, proper hygiene, and wearing face covering and masks throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Since mid-April, Massachusetts’ positive test rate is down 94% and has dropped below 2%.

With states and public health officials across the country implementing more strict measures to help contain the spread of COVID-19, here is a closer look at the state-by-state regulations for wearing face coverings and masks in public. Perhaps the biggest news comes out of Florida, where more than 109,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported and wearing a mask in public has become mandatory. Parts of Utah are also experiencing a similar stance and are leaning on the Utah Department of Health to approve a mandatory mask exemption. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continues to recommend that everyone wear a cloth face covering or mask in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

The question now is, with the latest surge of infections and cases of COVID-19, is the country heading toward another nationwide lockdown? 

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