Birx: ‘Super spreading’ events need to stop
“People have not taken the consistent warnings of our health officials seriously. They are gathering in private and in public places without adequate protection. They are ignoring the advice.”
In 12 of those states, the increase in deaths was at least 50%: Washington, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Texas, Mississippi, Michigan, Ohio, Maine, Virginia, West Virginia and Alaska.
‘It’s not that complicated’
“It’s not that complicated. But it is hard to do psychologically. It’s hard to do sociologically. And it’s extremely hard to do for young people.”
“And if you do have to work,” he said, “you have to assure that the workplace is safe and you can work safely at a distance.”
Keeping a safe work environment and reducing your contact with others “are the two most important things you can do in addition to wearing masks and keeping your 6-foot distance,” said Haseltine.
Coronavirus is ‘widespread’ in rural areas, too
And what used to be an urban problem has spread to rural communities.
“It’s extraordinarily widespread,” said Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator.
“So everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus. And that is why we keep saying, no matter where you live in America, you need to wear a mask and socially distance.”
At least 30 states have paused their reopening plans or imposed new restrictions as coronavirus remains out of control.
Yet many people “aren’t wearing masks. They aren’t distancing,” said Dr. James Phillips, a physician and assistant professor at George Washington University Hospital.
“I’m concerned that the complacency that we’ve seen with coronavirus has led to these mass gatherings and a general disagreement with the science.”
At this point, hard-hit areas should enact another round of stay-at-home orders to try to get the virus under control, Phillips said.
“What I’m concerned about primarily is the fact that we haven’t controlled this virus in a serious way,” he said.
“We’re seeing rises in a lot of states, and now we’re talking about reopening schools and colleges in the midst of that — which I think is going to compound our problem significantly.”
As one school district reopens, 260 employees infected or exposed
Across the country, some students have already tested positive as the school year begins.
The guidelines said children don’t suffer much from coronavirus but suffer from being out of school.
In Florida’s Miami-Dade County, one of hardest-hit places in the country, the superintendent said students will continue virtual learning until at least October.
Why some people should wear face masks at home
This can be especially dangerous if the virus eventually gets passed to elderly relatives or family members with underlying health problems.
So people who live with elderly relatives or those who have health problems in places that are experiencing outbreaks should consider wearing face masks at home, Birx said.
And those returning from summer vacations must be extra careful when they return, Birx said.
“If you have chosen to go on vacation into a hot spot, you really need to come back and protect those with comorbidities and assume you’re infected,” she said.
CNN’s Naomi Thomas, Sharif Paget and Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.
