By Corky Siemaszko - NBC News
The wave of COVID-19 infections sweeping across the United States has led to a series of new closures and calls for the re-imposition of restrictions, after more than one reported last week. million new cases.
Although two vaccines have given promising results, there are still months before a generalized distribution can be implemented - and while, the president, Donald Trump, slows the transition of government by refusing to acknowledge his apparent electoral defeat against Joe Biden -, so
mayors and governors are imposing new restrictive measures and do not take into account the direction of Washington.
Chicago authorities issued a blanket warning, which went into effect Monday, for residents to stay in their homes in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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Philadephia, in Pennsylvania, also announced new restrictions on Monday that seek to reinforce the use of masks and maintain social distancing in public spaces, restaurants, gyms and inside private residences.
The restrictions, which begin on Friday, are reminiscent of the measures established in spring:
parties and dinners indoors will be prohibited;
gyms, museums and libraries will be closed;
and no eating or drinking will be allowed in outdoor gatherings.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said public schools will remain open for now, but if the positive test rate exceeds 3% - and it seems to be getting closer to that number each time - he would be forced to
shut down the system. largest public education in the country and resume distance learning
.
Over the weekend, the governors of several northeastern states that were the most affected at the beginning of the pandemic held a meeting in which they discussed, in particular, the private meetings that have fueled the spread of COVID-19 and that make the rate of hospitalizations increases again.
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“Please, God, let's not get to the levels we saw in the spring,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said Monday, “I think our peak hospitalizations in the spring was 8,300 people.
Now we are at 1,900, 2,000.
Thank goodness we are not at those levels but things are going to get worse.
So we plead with people to remember their personal responsibilities, especially when they are in private settings. "
Trump has been widely criticized for downplaying the dangers of
a health crisis that has already exceeded 11 million infections and more than 247,000 deaths
in the country, and for failing to heed the recommendations of infectious disease experts in favor of comments. of conservative ideologues who question some proven safety measures such as the use of face masks, social distancing measures and closures.
On Monday, the number of infections increased in 49 states and in Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, according to data from NBC News.
In 11 of those states -
Maine, Vermont, Minnesota, Iowa, New Hampshire, Colorado, Ohio, Kansas, Connecticut, Michigan, and New York - infections skyrocketed
in the past two weeks, meaning an increase of 100 % or more in confirmed cases in the last 15 days.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer - whom Trump frequently attacks - criticized Scott Atlas, one of the president's top advisers on coronavirus issues, on Monday because Atlas said on Twitter Sunday that Michigan residents should “ stand up ”against any new restraining measure.
"With the leadership vacuum that we have in Washington, it
is up to the state governors to do what we can to save lives
," Whitmer said Monday.
Atlas, who is a radiologist but does not specialize in infectious diseases, has been criticized for, among other things, making false claims about the effectiveness of masks in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and for promoting misinformation about herd immunity.
"I totally disagree with him," said Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, referring to Atlas' views on
NBC's
TODAY
.
“
I totally disagree with their opinions
.
It's just like that, ”he added.
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But even leaders of Republican-dominated states that have sided with Trump and his advisers on COVID-19 have grudgingly imposed new recommendations and restrictions as the number of cases rises and the flood of infected patients overwhelms. your hospital systems.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Republican, announced Friday: “The State Health Officer, with my full support, has issued an order requiring
the use of masks in all indoor spaces,
both private and public, and in public outdoor environments where it is not possible to maintain physical distance ”.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, also a Republican and Trump loyalist, ordered all state workers to wear face masks and that tables in restaurants be six feet apart,
and ordered that at 11:00 a.m. pm all bars and restaurants are closed.
While Stitt only "encourages" Oklahomans to wear face masks, in March he tweeted a photo of his family while dining at a crowded Oklahoma City restaurant when the virus was spreading.
He tested positive in July, and was the first governor infected.
It has been months since Trump attended a meeting of the White House coronavirus task force, which is led by Vice President Mike Pence, NBC News confirmed.
And while Biden has already convened a team to deal with the pandemic, Trump's continued refusal to admit defeat could complicate the transition.
“It's almost like passing the baton in a race,” Fauci said Sunday, “you don't want to stop and then give it to someone.
Basically what you want is to move on. "
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Eric Goosby, a member of the COVID-19 advisory board for President-elect Joe Biden's transition team, said Monday that the board learned of the Trump Administration's plans to distribute a vaccine "through media reports and conversations. informal with people at the state and local level ”.
"What we haven't had is a high-level orchestration on the phase of their plans to implement a vaccine and where their problem areas are for access and distribution," Goosby said.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has clashed with Trump over his response to the pandemic, said the president's team does not have an effective plan to distribute the vaccines.
"They have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to vaccines
," Cuomo said Monday.
Trump “thinks he's going to make pharmacies and hospitals deliver it.
I will tell you what it is going to do: it will leave out the black community and people of color, in black people the death rate is double that among whites, "he added.
"We are heading towards another operational disaster with his plan," he concluded.
Recent news of the high effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, more than 90%, has raised hopes in a nation tired of wearing masks and quarantines and expecting to return to normal sometime next year.
But first, what is likely to be a long and difficult winter must be overcome, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday.
“The progress we made last year has been the result of our willingness to work together,” he said in a statement, “even in this difficult time we will continue to be united for our city, as we have always done, to stop the increase we are seeing. , overcome the fatigue we experience and make a crucial difference in how our future will be ”.
