- Florida will allow bars and restaurants to reopen at 100% capacity.
- Dr. Fauci said the move is concerning and would likely cause an upswing in new coronavirus infections.
- Recent studies show that coronavirus patients can suffer from long-term heart damage.
One of the more dangerous aspects of the coronavirus is that a downtrend in new infections can give off the impression that life can finally revert back to normal. And so, in a scenario that we’ve seen play out numerous times over the past few months, cities that are quick to open things back up after a decline in new coronavirus cases typically see a huge surge in new infections weeks down the line.
The most recent example of this dynamic playing out can be seen in Florida. While Florida was previously a huge hotspot for coronavirus cases, the state in recent weeks saw its coronavirus numbers go way down after people started taking social distancing and mask-wearing more seriously. As a result, some schools in Miami are planning to open back up two weeks earlier than initially planned. What’s more, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced a plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions on bars and restaurants. And while bars and restaurants in most states are currently operating at 25-50% capacity, bars and restaurants in Florida will be allowed to operate at 100% capacity.
Needless to say, Dr. Anthony Fauci is beyond frustrated with the direction Florida is headed.
During an appearance on Good Morning America this week, Fauci explained:
That is very concerning to me. We have always said this is something we really need to be careful about. Because when you’re dealing with community spread, and you have the kind of congregate setting where people get together, particularly without masks, you’re really asking for trouble.
…
We’re not in a good place… There are states that are starting to show [an] uptick in cases, and even some increase in hospitalizations in some states. And, I hope not, but we very well might start seeing increases in deaths.
To Fauci’s points, even New York City — which did an impressive job of combating the coronavirus earlier this year — has started to see an increase in new coronavirus cases in recent days.
As it stands now, the average daily number of new coronavirus cases is on the rise across the country. Just yesterday, there were nearly 47,000 new coronavirus cases across the United States. And recall, Dr. Fauci recently said that the figure would have to get down below 10,000 before fall in order to prevent what could very well be a massive spike in new cases. Clearly, the United States isn’t even close to reaching the 10,000 threshold. And compounding matters is that the rate of new infections is actually trending upwards now.
All told, the U.S. has seen more than 7.3 million coronavirus cases and 207,600 associated deaths since the pandemic began sweeping across the country earlier this year.
