TOPLINE
Coronavirus cases hitting new all-time highs in the U.S. weren’t enough to keep thousands of Americans from ignoring the pleas of public health experts who warned against large gatherings, with scenes of crowded beaches, packed parks and maskless parties common across the U.S. this weekend during Fourth of July celebrations.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 04: People visit the crowded beach at Coney Island as the city moves into ... [+]
Getty ImagesKEY FACTS
But the most egregious scene of flaunting social distancing guidelines seems to be from a party that took place at Diamond Lake in western Michigan, where a tightly packed crowd of what appears to be hundreds of people—none wearing masks—were filmed dancing together in murky lake waters.
The scene appeared to be in total violation of health directives suggested by experts as Dr. Anthony Fauci recently warned that the U.S. is “not going in the right direction.”
Those warnings led many cities to curtail their normal Fourth of July celebrations, while beaches in south Florida closed for the weekend.
Other popular vacation destinations, though, like Fire Island in New York and Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri—which had massive crowds for Memorial Day—also drew crowds over the weekend that seemed to ignore social distancing guidelines.
The scenes came as President Donald Trump, who hosted large, mask-optional celebrations over the weekend, including a Fourth of July celebration outside the White House Saturday even as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser warned it was in violation of CDC guidance as confirmed U.S. coronavirus cases approach 3 million.
KEY BACKGROUND
For weeks now, new cases of coronavirus have been on an uptick in the U.S., but particularly in states like Florida, Texas, California and Arizona. A massive increase in cases there has pushed the U.S. to new record highs in daily cases recently, while more and more states are also now having an uptick in cases after months of either declines or stable numbers of new cases. As of Sunday, new cases were on the rise in 37 states, according to data from The New York Times.
BIG NUMBER
55,595 — That’s how many new coronavirus cases were reporting in the U.S. Thursday, according to the Times, setting a new record. It’s also significantly more than the 36,738 cases reported on April 24, which was the old high-water mark before the latest spike. On average, the U.S. is now reporting over 40,000 new cases a day.
TANGENT
At least one large gathering turned violent. In Greenville, South Carolina, at least 10 people were reportedly shot at a nightclub, with two killed.
At the time of the shooting, there was a “very, very, very large crowd” in the club, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said. Nightclubs are not allowed to be open in South Carolina, unless granted some sort of exception. It’s unclear if that was the case for the club where the shooting happened.
FURTHER READING
South Florida Closing Beaches For Fourth Of July (Forbes)
The US is "not going in the right direction," Fauci says (CNN)
2 dead, 8 others injured in shooting at Lavish Lounge in Greenville County, deputies say (WYFF-TV)
The Link LonkJuly 06, 2020 at 06:00AM
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Maskless Parties And Crowded Beaches Across U.S. As Coronavirus Spikes Over Holiday Weekend - Forbes
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