Miami (AFP)
Nearly 10,000 new cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in 24 hours in Florida, a new record for this South American state affected by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, especially among young people.
The "Sunshine State" recorded 9,585 new patients and 24 deaths in one day, an unprecedented toll since the start of the pandemic, according to statistics from local health authorities.
Florida is facing a "real explosion" of the disease among young people who, thanks to the deconfinement operated since the beginning of June, have returned to the beaches and the nightlife, this week recognized its governor Ron DeSantis.
The average age of those infected is 33 years, compared to 65 two months ago.
The Republican governor, who had dragged on taking initial containment measures, decided on Friday to suspend alcohol consumption in bars.
His Texan counterpart, also faced with a worrying increase in the number of cases in his state, also ordered the closure of bars and reduced the capacity of restaurants to 50% against 75% since June 12.
Friday evening, in a rare act of contrition, he regretted having allowed the bars to reopen too early.
"If we could go back and start all over again, it would probably be necessary to slow down the opening of bars, because the virus spreads quickly," said Greg Abbott on local KVIA. "People go there to get close, drink and socialize," a perfect recipe for the new coronavirus, he said.
Texas is one of the first American states to have reopened its economy. As of May 1, restaurants, shopping centers, cinemas and stores were able to reopen at reduced capacity.
On Friday, the city of San Francisco, California, in turn announced a "break" in its deconfinement. Hairdressers, barbers, outdoor bars ... which were due to reopen on Monday will wait, authorities said.
More than half of the American states, especially in the south and west of the country, are currently experiencing an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, while the situation continues to improve in the northeast, which was the most affected region two months ago.
© 2020 AFP