Coronavirus cases have spiked in the United States beyond the peak in April, causing some states to scale back their reopenings.
Florida and Texas were two of the last states to shut down and earliest to reopen. Now, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has shut down bars throughout the state, and Harris County, which includes Houston, has put the county in a "Red Alert" scale.
On Thursday, Texas reported 5,996 coronavirus cases, which is a one-day record. Florida on Thursday reached 8,933 cases, prompting Gov. Ron De Santis (R) to put new restrictions on bars.
“At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars,” Abbott said in a statement.
According to John Hopkins University, Florida, Texas, California and Arizona made up almost half of the record-breaking 39,972 coronavirus cases reported on Thursday.
During the first coronavirus task force briefing since April 27, Vice President Mike Pence applauded the economy's reopening, even though cases continue to grow in over 20 states.
“There may be a tendency among the American people to think we are back to the place we were two months ago, that we are in a time of great losses and great hardship of the American people,” Pence said on Friday at the briefing. “The reality is we are in a much better place.”
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