LUBBOCK (US) – The governor of Texas has temporarily halted the state’s reopening on Thursday as COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations surged and the country set a new record for a one-day increase in cases.
Texas, which has been at the forefront of initiatives to reopen devastated economies shut down in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, has seen one of the biggest jumps in new cases, clocking more than 6,000 on Monday.
“This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business,” Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement.
Texas also witnessed record hospitalisations for 13 days in a row. Abbott has suspended elective surgeries in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio to free up hospital bed space.
Texas’ rising numbers are part of a nationwide resurgence in states that did not experience in the brunt of the initial outbreak or moved early to lift restrictions on residents and businesses.
Cases rose across the United States by at least 39,818 on Thursday, the largest one-day spurt.
While some of the increased numbers of cases can be attributed to more testing, the percentage of positive results is also on the rise.
The Trump administration has tried to soften nationwide concerns about the pandemic even as a dozen or so states see worrisome increases.
“We’re working aggressively with states and local leaders in this situation but it’s important for the American people to know this is a localized situation,” US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told Fox News in an interview.
The pandemic has moved to the west and south of the country, including more sparsely populated rural areas, from the early epicentre around New York, where more than 31,000 deaths have been recorded.
Oregon and Utah have also paused or slowed lifting the restrictions.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field