Holiday weekend will test Americans’ discipline as cases climb

The U.S. headed into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays canceled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of Americans’ self-control that could determine the trajectory of the surging coronavirus outbreak.With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families were urged to celebrate their independence at home. Even then, they were told to keep their backyard cookouts small.Health experts agree this will be a pivotal moment in determining whether the nation slides into a deeper mess. The fear is that a weekend of crowded pool parties, picnics and parades will fuel the surge.“We’re not going to be arresting people for having gatherings, but we’re certainly going to discourage it,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, public health director for Seattle and King County.Those who decide they must gather with a small group of family members need to be careful, he said: “Don’t share utensils, don’t share objects, don’t pass them back and forth, because you’re passing that virus around as well.”The warnings were sounded after a Memorial Day weekend that saw many people emerge from stay-at-home orders to go to the beach, restaurants and family gatherings. Since then, confirmed infections per day in the U.S. have rocketed to an all-time high, more than doubling.The U.S. set another record on Friday with 52,300 newly reported cases, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Arizona, California, Florida and Texas have been hit especially hard.The latest numbersThe U.S. has reported more than 2.7 million cases of the virus and at least 129,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.Despite it all, there will still be fireworks and community events scattered across the nation, with many taking social distancing into account. In Ohio, Upper Arlington’s July Fourth parade will take a much longer route through its neighborhoods so residents can watch without crowding the streets.“We’re calling it the front porch parade,” said organizer Sam Porter. “We can’t just not do something.”Fireworks will be launched from four spots across Albuquerque, New Mexico, so that people can ooh and aah from home instead of gathering in a single place.Willie Nelson’s annual Fourth of July Picnic will carry on at his Texas ranch outside Austin, but this year the concert portion will be virtual.It will be a much quieter holiday for Ashley Peters, who for 14 years has hosted 150 friends and relatives at a pool party at her home in Manteca, California, complete with a DJ, bounce house, water slide and shaved-ice stand. This year the guest list is down to just a few people.“This year is a huge bummer, to say the least,” she said. But pulling the plug on the bash, she said, was a “no-brainer” because so many of those she knows are front-line workers, including her husband, a fire captain. “I woke up and told my husband I wish it was just July 5,” she said. President Trump at Rushmore: Jets and fireworks, but masks remain optionalPresident Donald Trump traveled to South Dakota on Friday for a fireworks show at Mount Rushmore before returning to the nation’s capital for military flyovers Saturday and a mile-long pyrotechnics display show on the National Mall that his administration promises will be the biggest in recent memory. Up to 300,000 face masks will be given away but not required.The big party will go on over objections from Washington’s mayor.“Ask yourself, do you need to be there? Ask yourself, can you anticipate or know who all is going to be around you? If you go downtown, do you know if you’re going to be able to social distance?” Mayor Muriel Bowser said.Beaches that had been open for the traditional start of summer over Memorial Day weekend will be off-limits in many places this time, including South Florida, Southern California and the Texas Gulf Coast.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans who do go to the beach to wear face coverings, though not in the water.With professional pyrotechnic displays canceled, authorities are bracing for wildfires and injuries caused by Americans shooting off fireworks at home. Sales of fireworks have been booming in what some sellers say may reflect a desire for a little excitement among people cooped up for so long.Jamie Parrott, a pediatric neurologist in Columbia, South Carolina, said he intends to stay home with his grandchildren, setting off fireworks and eating hamburgers, because that’s the safer course for older people like him.“We’ll muddle through,” he said.Delaware’s governor ordered bars in some beach towns to close, saying people were getting complacent about masks and social distancing. The Lake Erie resort village of Put-in-Bay in Ohio canceled its fireworks after a small number of coronavirus cases were linked to bars on the island. And the New Jersey resort town of Wildwood did the same.Still, many people are expected to pack the beaches, boardwalk restaurants and amusement parks up and down the Jersey shore.After hearing Michigan’s governor warn about the need to be smart amid an uptick of cases, Mary Halley of Jonesville said her family canceled plans for a weekend outing on Lake Michigan.“We had some disappointed kids, but we knew as a family we couldn’t do that,” she said. The problem, she said, is that too many people aren’t listening to the experts. “Even in my small, little town, there are lot of people who didn’t comply with the orders,” she said.Dr. Don Williamson, head of the Alabama Hospital Association, said he is “really, really worried about the Fourth of July.”“I think that will likely determine the trend for Alabama for the rest of the summer,” he said.Oregon thought it had controlled COVID-19, then came surgeThroughout the pandemic state officials have boasted having one of the lowest infection rates in the country, which remains true. At the end of May, Oregon only had about 4,200 cases and until June, daily confirmed new case numbers never hit triple digits.Some officials said the pandemic seemed “distant,” as Oregonians watched the disease clobber other states, such as California and Washington where far more people have tested positive.But in June, things shifted. Oregon continuously set record highs in the state for new daily cases.The Oregon Health Authority said Thursday there were 375 additional confirmed and presumptive cases of the coronavirus statewide. The previous record was 281 cases.Over the past month, the case confirmed count more than doubled – surpassing 9,600.Dr. Paul Cieslak, the medical director for Communicable Diseases for the Oregon Health Authority, called the numbers concerning. But, the numbers may get worse.Researchers warn of the possibility of “exponential growth in new infections” in July.Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state’s epidemiologist, said Wednesday projections indicate that daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 could rise.The worst-case scenario, based only on increased transmission rates, projects that confirmed daily cases could rise as much as 20 percentage points, to 4,852 new infections a day.While the case count has been increasing across the state, Cieslak said there have been significant increases in rural counties.The surge in cases is not solely caused by workplace outbreaks or large gatherings.“We are now seeing a lot of new clusters (of cases) associated with multi-household gatherings — birthday parties with large groups, graduation parties, extended family gatherings, vacation among friends,” Cieslak said.Stop the spread of COVID-19To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend wearing a cloth face mask in public, which is a requirement in some states. Experts also recommend you keep 6 feet between yourself and others.Make sure to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.For more tips on how to stay safe, CLICK HERE.

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