US presses on with reopening, but coronavirus first wave lingers
- A majority of states do not meet the criteria set by the White House for reopening their economies, but many are moving ahead regardless
More than a dozen US states are reporting their highest daily tolls of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, but President Donald Trump and many local officials are showing no signs of worry and have ruled out new lockdown measures.
The US chapter of the global health crisis has shifted from New York and the northeast to the south and west, with a particular focus now on hospitals in Arizona, Texas and Florida.
The latter will host the most visible parts of the Republican presidential nominating convention in August, after Trump’s spat with the Democratic governor of North Carolina over the needs for masks and a scaled-back event prompted a switch.
While some states like Virginia and New York move ahead with reopening businesses, others like Nashville and the Pacific state of Oregon are slowing down.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown has announced a one-week pause in the easing of lockdown restrictions that began a month ago, after a rise in cases in both urban and rural areas.
