With the virus inspections bouncing back up in Florida and the New York /New Jersey/Connecticut quarantine announcement?
The Florida Governor seems to have gotten the message that the reality isn’t what Donald Trump says it is….
The politics of the situation seems to be receding….
After close to 9,000 positive cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state of Florida Friday — the largest ever daily total in the state since the pandemic began— the Department of Business and Professional regulation announced on Twitter that they are suspending on-premise consumption at bars statewide effective immediately.
Florida DBPR@FloridaDBPREffective immediately, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is suspending on premises consumption of alcohol at bars statewide.
This order doesn’t impact South Florida as Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which have yet to reopen bars; the area is still currently under phase one of the Florida’s reopening plans, which restricts bar operations. However, the rest of the state had moved to phase two of reopening on June 5, allowing bars to reopen at 50 percent capacity as long as customers were seated and following “appropriate social distancing and sanitation protocols.”
There has been no official comment yet from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on the matter, who previously said last week that the state wouldn’t be scaling back reopening efforts, even though the Florida has become a hotspot for coronavirus cases. DeSantis is scheduled to host a press conference at 2 p.m. today to address the increase in cases….
That both governors — who are close allies of President Donald Trump and were criticized for resisting calls to lock down their states in the pandemic’s early days — have not only pressed pause on reopening but reimposed some restrictions, speaks to the severity of the outbreaks in two of the most populous states in the country.
The country as a whole on Thursday registered another single-day record of more than 39,000 new infections, with fears that hospitalizations and the nationwide death toll could soon follow. The new spikes come as the White House has attempted to play down the increase and press forward with reopening the economy after coming to a standstill for months this spring.
Signs are emerging, however, that the White House has begun to take the threat more seriously, with its coronavirus task force set to hold its first public briefing since April 27.
Abbott said in a statement Friday that his decision came after Texas exceeded a 10 percent positivity rate for coronavirus tests. The state reported nearly 6,000 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Thursday, a new daily record.
According to Abbott’s orders, bars must close by Friday at noon local time, though they will be allowed to conduct curbside service, and restaurants will be restricted to 50 percent capacity for dine-in service beginning Monday….
Note…
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to slow the infections IS WEARING MASKS.…
Cal Governor starts to get serious….
Los Angeles Times
@latimes
Breaking: Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered seven counties including Los Angeles to immediately close any bars and nightspots that are open citing coronavirus concerns.
Bars in seven counties are immediately affected by the state order: Los Angeles, Fresno, Kern, San Joaquin, Tulare, Kings and Imperial.
Eight other counties have been asked by state officials to issue local health orders closing bars: Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Sacramento, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Stanislaus…
The list of counties affected by Sunday’s order was based on daily reports on the spread of the virus, state officials said. Counties that have been on the state’s watch list for three to 14 days are being asked to close bars. Those counties being ordered to close the local businesses have been on the state’s watch list for more than 14 days.
“We are actively monitoring COVID-19 across the state and working closely with counties where there are increased rates and concerning patterns of transmission,” Angell said in a written statement. “Closing bars in these counties is one of a number of targeted actions counties are implementing across our state to slow the virus’ spread and reduce risk.”
The decision by Newsom stands in contrast to recent decisions to leave more of the decision-making authority to local officials. The governor has said it is possible additional sectors of the state may need to scale back on openings, but has been hesitant to make those decisions in Sacramento.
Earlier this month, the governor ordered all Californians to wear face masks while in public or high-risk settings.
The alarm over the rising case numbers extends across California, where statewide cases topped 211,000. Hospitalizations and infection rates are also rising, and officials cite several likely factors including reopenings, people having private social gatherings, and the recent protests over George Floyd’s death while in police custody…
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-28/gavin-newsom-orders-bars-closed-in-7-california-counties-due-to-coronavirus-spread