By Faith Karimi, CNN 2 hrs ago
After a week of skyrocketing coronavirus cases in the United States, officials are issuing a stark warning this July Fourth: Skip the parties.
© Sean Rayford/Getty Images MYRTLE BEACH, SC - MAY 23: People walk and gather along the beach on the morning of May 23, 2020 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Businesses, including amusements, have reopened for the Memorial Day holiday weekend after forced pandemic closures. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
If you really have to go, wear a mask, wash your hands and maintain social distancing. And if you must host, try to keep festivities outdoors and save the partygoers' information for future contact tracing if needed.
Coronavirus cases are rising in 36 states heading into the weekend -- with California, Arizona, Texas and Florida all posting record numbers of new infections this week.
The virus has killed more than 129,000 people and infected over 2.7 million in the US since the pandemic started, according to Johns Hopkins University. And for the third straight day Friday, the number of new cases surpassed 50,000 nationwide.
Despite the bleak milestones, people yearning for some normalcy are planning barbecues, dips in lakes and gatherings to watch fireworks. But some are finding beaches in Miami and Los Angeles closed, tubing in Texas rivers banned and some city celebrations happening mostly on live streams.
Without stringent safety measures, health experts fear the holiday weekend could bring a wave of new infections that could overwhelm hospitals. To avoid a public health disaster, they're imploring people to wear masks, skip bars and crowded places, and avoid mixing with people outside of their households.
"What we know is that our behavior is the most powerful tool we have right now against the virus," said Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, surgeon general of California. "And we really need folks to, you know, step up. I know that folks are tired, but it's absolutely critically important."
Health care workers make plea to governor
In Georgia, where coronavirus cases are going up, about 1,400 health care workers signed a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp asking him to increase state restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The letter dated Thursday urged the governor to close bars and nightclubs and prohibit indoor gatherings of more than 25 people, including at places of worship. It also recommends a statewide face covering requirement that allows mayors and county officials to institute requirements appropriate for their jurisdictions.
"During the past week we have seen a sharp spike in cases that cannot be accounted for by increased testing. We also are seeing a very troubling increase in hospitalizations that, if continuing, will overwhelm our healthcare infrastructure, not only in metro Atlanta but also in rural Georgia," the letter said.
Dr. Jesse Couk, the chair of infectious disease at Shepherd Center and a doctor at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, told CNN he worked with other doctors and health care professionals to create the letter after he became frustrated with lack of action after a spike in cases.
© Mark Felix/AFP/Getty Images Healthcare workers push a patient from the Covid-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston.
Couk and other medical contacts worked together to create the letter and have other health care professionals sign it. He said he wanted to highlight the need for increased social distancing and further restrictions to slow the spread, and was speaking as a member of the Infectious Disease Society of Georgia and not as a representative of Piedmont Atlanta.
More states make sweeping mask mandates
Mask mandates for Texas and Kansas went into effect Friday, which means 19 states and Washington, DC, now have such requirements.
"We have the ability to keep businesses open and move our economy forward so that Texans can continue to earn a paycheck, but it requires each of us to do our part ... and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.
Other governors have also issued statewide orders, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois and Michigan. And in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order granting mayors in 89 counties the authority to issue mask requirements. It allows local governments to issue the mandates if a surge requires more preventative measures.
"While our densely populated urban areas continue to have the highest Covid-19 case rates, our local governments expressed a need for greater flexibility in addressing a rise in cases and that includes setting stronger expectations around masks," Lee said in a statement. "This targeted approach ensures we protect both lives and livelihoods and safely keep our economy open in Tennessee."
In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the beaches will be open to thousands of visitors for the holiday weekend -- but with a mask requirement to help stop the spread, Mayor Brenda Bethune said.
Of the 36 states whose new cases have gone up this week compared to the previous one, nine of them have increased by over 50%. They are Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alaska and Delaware.
© Arturo Holmes/Getty Images Fireworks light up the sky on June 30 in New York City -- part of July 4th displays in locations around the city that are kept secret to minimize crowds gathering in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
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