Coronavirus Briefing: Our State, Our Rules

Some governors have resisted cracking down, even as case numbers soar.

View in browser|nytimes.com June 24, 2020 An informed guide to the global outbreak, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment. (Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.) By Lara Takenaga and Jonathan Wolfe The International Monetary Fund predicted that the global economy will shrink 4.9 percent this year, a more dismal prediction than its previous forecast. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will impose a two-week quarantine on visitors from states with big outbreaks. The New York City Marathon, the world’s largest, has been canceled. Get the latest updates here, plus maps and a tracker for U.S. metro areas. An uneven response The U.S. recorded more than 35,000 new cases yesterday — the highest daily total since the outbreak first peaked in late April. More than half of all states saw increasing new cases, and governors across political lines moved to delay or reverse reopenings. But some governors have declined to crack down on the virus, despite their states’ accelerating rates of infection. Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia said that six outbreaks had been linked to churches in the state, but said he had no plans to close houses of worship. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has asked health officials to tell residents to wear masks and maintain social distancing, but he has not signaled a rollback for his reopening plans. In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster said Monday that he would not mandate face coverings. Meanwhile, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut — which had severe outbreaks early in the pandemic but have since gotten them under control — will require visitors from states with high positive test rates to quarantine for two weeks. As the U.S. continues its roller-coaster trajectory, state officials may soon be looking to countries in Asia and Europe that are taking novel, localized approaches to managing new waves of the virus. While each country differs, their post-peak strategies generally include flexibility for local governments to tighten or ease restrictions, intensive testing and strict border management. In South Korea, where the national strategy is referred to as “everyday life quarantine,” the government has advised citizens to carry two types of masks — a surgical mask, as well as a heavy-duty one for crowded situations. China has moved to test restaurant workers and delivery drivers block by block. And in Germany, regions and municipalities that reach a threshold of new infections must impose school closings and quarantines. The Times is providing free access to much of our coronavirus coverage, and our Coronavirus Briefing newsletter — like all of our newsletters — is free. Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription. Houston hospitals are reaching their limit After a surge in cases, hospitals in Houston are facing a distressing new reality: They could run out of space in a matter of days. The city’s intensive care units are now at 97 percent capacity, the mayor said, and about a quarter of all patients in intensive care have tested positive for the virus. Even though Houston has a large concentration of medical schools and research hospitals, some experts believe the area will run out of I.C.U. beds within two weeks if the city doesn’t quickly begin to bend its curve. On Tuesday, Texas reported a daily record — 5,000 new infections — and on Wednesday the governor said the state had another 5,000 cases, along with 4,000 hospitalizations. Experts say that because hospitalizations are rising, the spike in cases is not just the result of an increase in testing. Video from the inside. The Times Opinion section spent several months with the staff of a rural hospital in Sweetwater, Texas (population 10,000). The hospital has been bracing for an outbreak — it would be overwhelmed by even six critically ill patients — while also trying to stave off financial ruin. Watch the short video here. Resurgences North Carolina will pause its reopening for three weeks and require face masks as cases and hospitalization rates increase, Gov. Roy Cooper announced today. In Washington State, which has seen a slight resurgence in cases, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that he would order everyone to wear a mask in all outdoor and indoor public spaces when staying six feet apart is not possible. The virus is gaining steam in Latin America, where the number of deaths has more than doubled in a month. In California, which recorded more than 7,000 new cases over the past day, Yosemite National Park canceled campsite reservations less than two weeks after reopening. Here’s a roundup of restrictions in all 50 states. What else we’re following Joe Biden has taken a commanding lead over President Trump in the presidential race, a new Times/Siena College poll found, in part because of disapproval over Mr. Trump’s response to the pandemic. The federal government may stop providing federal aid to testing sites in some hard-hit states, including Texas, The Washington Post reports. Tens of thousands of spectators turned out for Russia’s annual military parade, which took place with few precautions despite the nation’s case count of nearly 600,000. A married pair of Russian virologists who tested a live polio vaccine on their children in the 1950s discovered an unexpected benefit that is now aiding the search for a defense against the coronavirus. An investigation of 76 deaths linked to the virus at a veterans’ home in Massachusetts paints a picture of chaos, with nurses ordered to combine wards of infected and uninfected patients. For the pets left behind by Covid-19 patients in New York, animal specialists have stepped in, at no cost, to feed and sometimes take custody of them. You may have heard about toilet plume and how it can spread the virus. Here’s what you should do when you need to use a public restroom. With outdoor dining service allowed again in New York City, our restaurant critic Pete Wells went in search of his first sit-down restaurant meal since March. What you’re doing Months of Covid-19 life have resulted in a fatigue of binge-watching Netflix. We are embarrassed by the trail of crumbs to and from the refrigerator and the empty wine bottles in the recycling bin. For the newest chapter, my husband and I decided to take salsa lessons from YouTube. We moved the furniture back, cranked up the volume and are enjoying intimate laughter at ourselves amid a new love of Latin music! — Valerie VanOstenbridge, Pensacola, Fla. Let us know how you’re dealing with the outbreak. 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