WASHINGTON (US) – The US on Friday recorded more than 69,000 cases of coronavirus infection, creating a record of sorts for the third day at a stretch. Despite the surge, Walt Disney Co said it would reopen its flagship theme park in Florida, which is reeling from the pandemic.
Record number of daily infections was witnessed in Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Ohio, Utah and Wisconsin.
In hard hit Texas, Governor Greg Abbott said on Friday that new restrictions will have to be imposed if there is no respite to the record-setting caseloads and hospitalizations through masks and social distancing.
On Friday, California said it will relase up to 8,000 inmates from correctional facilities to halt the spread of the virus. At San Quentin State Prison near San Francisco, almost half of the 3,300 inmates have tested positive.
Walt Disney Co said its theme parks in Orlando would welcome a limited number of visitors on Saturday and they would be required to wear face masks and undergo temperature checks. The theme park has put on hold parades, fireworks displays and other events that are crowd-pullers.
Meanwhile, as many as 19,000 people, including some theme park workers, signed a petition urging Disney to postpone the reopening.
Other Orlando theme parks that opened in June are Comcast Corp’s Universal Studios Orlando and SeaWorld Entertainment Inc’s SeaWorld.
Florida is one of the worst hotspots for the virus and has found a place among the list of states where coronavirus fatalities are surging.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field