Coronavirus cases are surging around the country with several states changing quarantine guidelines as 4th of July weekend approaches. The U.S. reached a grim milestone of more than 80,000 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 since Tuesday (June 30).
In total, at least 2.7 million people in the U.S. have contracted COVID-19 since March. Over 1.1 million people have recovered, while more than 100,000 have died.
California, Texas, Arizona, and several other states announced new restrictions this week including the temporary closure of bars, beaches, gyms and other business in hopes of flattening the curve after easing lockdown restrictions in May.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that travelers from over a dozen states with surging cases including Florida, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Utah, must self-quarantine for 14 days.
If you’re traveling to New York from the following states you must self-quarantine for 14 days.
The states are: AL, AR, AZ, CA, FL, GA, IA, ID, LA, MS, NC, NV, SC, TN, TX, UT.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 30, 2020
The traveling restriction don’t just apply to the states. The European Union has closed its bordered to U.S. travelers until further notice.As of Wednesday (July 1), Florida reported an additional 6,500 new cases, pushing the state total above 100,000. But despite the surge in cases, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to reinstate social distancing restrictions.
Meanwhile, Texas reported over 8,000 cases in just 24 hours, the highest one-day total for the state since the pandemic began. California saw record-breaking numbers as well, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to order the closure of beaches, bars, restaurants, and other businesses. The Golden State has surpassed 233,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, many of which are centered in Los Angeles County.
Arizona added 4,682 cases to its total of nearly 85,000 confirmed cases on Tuesday. North Carolina also hit a record high of 1,843 cases, bringing the state’s total of 66,513 following slight dip in the number of infections last weekend.