[YNet] - Governors of U.S. states hit hardest by the resurgent coronavirus halted or reversed steps to reopen their economies on Wednesday, led by California, the nation's most populous state and a new epicenter of the pandemic.
New cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, shot up by nearly 50,000 on Wednesday, according to the latest tally, marking the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic.
"The spread of this virus continues at a rate that is particularly concerning," California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said in ordering the closure of bars, bans on indoor dining and other restrictions in 19 counties, affecting over 70% of the state's population.
The change in California, which was the first U.S. state to impose sweeping "stay-at-home" restrictions in March, will likely inflict more financial pain on the owners of bars and restaurants who have struggled to survive the pandemic.
Nobody mentions the working girls - who are the hardest hit by lockdowns.
The epicenter of the country's COVID-19 epidemic has moved from the Northeast to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the West along with Texas, Florida and Georgia.
Texas again topped its previous record on Wednesday with 8,076 new cases, while South Carolina reported 24 more coronavirus deaths, a single-day high for the state. Tennessee and Alaska also had record numbers of new cases on Wednesday.
...In Indiana, Republican Governor Eric Holcomb halted his state's phased reopening until at least mid-July.
...Roughly seven in 10 Republicans said they were personally concerned about the virus' spread, up from six in 10 in previous polls. About nine in 10 Democrats said they are similarly worried, a level of concern that has not changed.
Conservatives have generally been less willing to wear masks or follow other restrictions imposed by local authorities to stop the spread of the virus as the issue has become increasingly politicized.
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