United States COVID-19 Updates:
Where We Are Now
As cases rise across the country, here is the latest information you need to know.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to quickly spread across the country, prompting many states to put new safety guidelines and restrictions in place. With case numbers breaking records almost daily, here is the latest United States COVID-19 news, as well as the latest guidelines for hot spot states.
Nationwide
According to a data map by The New York Times, most states across the nation are still mostly open and require mandatory mask use in public areas. As of December 2, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky and Rhode Island are the only states where businesses are mostly closed.
According to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, the United States currently has the largest number of COVID-19 cases around the world. As of 6:45 p.m. EST on December 2, The U.S. has 13,900,350 confirmed cases, followed by India and Brazil. Click here to see the latest numbers from around the world.
(Image made using canva.com)
(Image made using canva.com)
In an article from The Washington Post, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield, stated that the U.S. death toll could increase to 450,000 by February, warning that winter could be a difficult time for public health. In that same article, it is stated that the U.S. has surpassed 200,000 new infections as of December 2, with 100,000 people currently hospitalized.
Minnesota
According to the aforementioned New York Times map, Minnesota is currently a mostly closed state, requiring mask usage in public places. Back in November, Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, announced a month-long ban on public gatherings at bars, restaurants and gyms past 10 p.m. as an effort for hospitals to acquire more space and supplies.
“I get that he’s trying to appease people and trying to balance the political parties, because I don’t understand how COVID-19 is still being considered a party thing,” said Amudalat Ajasa, a junior journalism major at Hofstra University and Minnesota native.
She continued, “He’s definitely trying to play the field by not completely closing down the state for a little bit, because the Midwest was kind of becoming an epicenter at the beginning of November.”
On November 24, Governor Walz announced a COVID-19 economic relief package to help small businesses and workers. Included in the relief package are an additional 13-week unemployment benefits extension, a one-time $500 emergency payment for families who are struggling and waivers for state and regulatory fees for restaurants, bars and other public venues. Governor Walz has also granted one million dollars to support the Minnesota tourism industry and announced a Minnesota COVID-19 exposure notification app.
Despite Governor Walz’s efforts, Ajasa still isn’t too optimistic about the effectiveness of these new rules. According to Ajasa, many locals will travel to neighboring states where certain restrictions aren’t in place, such as Wisconsin, to hang out and do things they can’t do back home.
“No, I don’t think those are gonna work,” said Ajasa. “COVID-19 doesn’t work on a shift. COVID-19 isn’t sitting outside of the store, waiting for 10 o’clock before it enters and starts affecting people. So, it really kind of feels like business as usual and nothing has really been done.”
(Background Images Couresty of Anna Shvets and Josh Hild on pexels.com)
California
California has been one of the hardest-hit states in the country, especially the Los Angeles area. According to ABC 7, a new stay-at-home order was put in place for Los Angeles county on November 30 after 2,049 people were reported to be hospitalized with COVID-19. The county has also banned private gatherings of people from different households.
The number of cases in San Diego county also continue to rise as hospital space becomes limited. On November 21, California Governor, Gavin Newsom, implemented a month-long 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for certain counties, including San Diego county, which prompted protests from citizens who disagree with the new restrictions.
“Of the people I know in California, some of them are okay with the new restrictions and they agree with it and they’re good with wearing masks and everything, but a lot people, especially near where I live, I feel like they’ve kind of forgotten that there’s a pandemic going on,” said Alexis Friedman, a San Diego county native and sophomore journalism major at Hofstra University.
Many of these curfew protesters consist of President Donald Trump supporters, using the protests as both a rally for him and against the curfew. According to FOX 11 News in Los Angeles, the sheriff of Huntington Beach, located in Orange County, will not be enforcing the curfew.
There is now a second one of these “curfew breakers” events planned in San Clemente tonight.
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) November 21, 2020
A reminder, L.A. County’s curfew went into effect last night. The state’s starts tonight at 10pm. https://t.co/7OXzzA3fDW
“I think people need to remember that we’re in a pandemic and just to protect themselves and others, because I feel like a lot of people here haven’t been remembering that,” said Friedman.
New York
New York has arguably been one of the worst hit states in the nation, with 26,889 total COVID-19 deaths and 664,238 total positive cases as of December 2. In a press conference held on November 30, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, announced his plan to combat COVID-19 this winter.
The plan focuses on stopping the spread of the virus throughout the state by managing hospital capacities, increasing access to testing resources, keeping schools open in a safe manner, stopping small social gatherings and creating a safe vaccine distribution program. Governor Cuomo stated that while people have been listening to and following safety guidelines, the holiday season will bring a surge of infections as people gather for celebrations, go out shopping and increase their social activity.
“COVID is the Grinch. Think of it that way,” said Cuomo, “and the COVID Grinch is an opportunist, and the COVID Grinch sees this as the season of viral transmission.”
On November 21, Governor Cuomo announced that an emergency COVID-19 facility on South Beach, Staten Island, would be reopened as cases rise and hospital space decreases in the area. Cuomo also announced in a press conference on December 2 that New York’s first round of vaccines will be distributed on December 15, as long as safety and efficacy approvals are granted by that date. The first round of the vaccine, developed by Pfizer, will be available for 170,000 New Yorkers.
Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and continue reading here.
(Background Images Courtesy of Bryan G. (@mirador9), Jon Tyson (@jontyson) and Mike Henderson (@hendemic) on unsplash.com)
