The number of U.S. confirmed coronavirus cases climbed to record highs as residents celebrated the Independence Day weekend Friday, with daily case numbers increasing in 40 out of 50 states.
July 3 (UPI) — The number of U. S. confirmed coronavirus cases climbed to record highs as residents celebrated the Independence Day weekend Friday, with daily case numbers increasing in 40 out of 50 states.
More than 52,000 cases were reported on Thursday, exceeding the highest daily record of 50,000 earlier in the week, according to an online tracker published by Johns Hopkins University.
U. S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Friday recommended wearing a face covering for anyone who planned to celebrate the Independence Day holiday in a crowd. Adams stopped short of advising people not to attend public events, such as Friday’s fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.
“Every single person has to make up their own mind,” Adams said on an appearance on Today. “There are going to be people going to beaches, going to barbecues, going to different environments and they have to look at their individual risk… I would say to people is if you do go out to a gathering or in public, please wear a face covering,”
Other doctors worried that the holiday could cause a spike because people were traveling and celebrating in large groups. The holiday could be the “perfect storm” for spreading the virus, Joshua Barocas, an infectious disease doctor at Boston Medical Center told CNN.
The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that organizers of any large public event post signs urging social distancing, face coverings and hand washing in “highly visible locations” and offering public hand-washing stations.
