Like an air of deja vu. California, one of the main sources of new coronavirus in the United States, was the first state in the country to impose general containment in March. Faced with the number of cases of Covid-19 which continues to explode, the governor announced Monday July 13 the enlargement to the whole state of the closure of bars, indoor dining rooms, cinemas, zoos and aquariums.

"This virus is not going to go away anytime soon," said Gavin Newsom. "I hope we are all aware of it, even those who could imagine that it would disappear with the heat."

The return to restrictions also involves the closure of a series of public places and shops - including offices, shopping centers, hairdressers and places of worship - in around thirty counties at risk, including Los Angeles.

Back to school online courses

In Los Angeles, the 600,000 students also learned on Monday that they would not return to school in mid-August as planned but would take distance courses until the health situation improved. "There is a public health imperative to prevent schools from becoming broths of culture," said Austin Beutner, head of the school district.

With more than 300,000 cases identified and 7,000 dead, California remains one of the main centers of infection in the country and Los Angeles County alone accounts for about half of the cases. Even more worrying, the infection rate among people tested in the county reached 10%, against only 4.6% in May, a sign that the transmission of Covid-19 is progressing.

More than 135,000 deaths in the country

The United States has registered 59,222 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, according to a count from Johns Hopkins University. The total number of cases recorded in the country now exceeds 3.36 million. The Covid-19 also has 411 new victims in 24 hours, bringing the total toll to 135,582 deaths.

Throughout the south and west of the country, such as in Texas and Florida, which are also experiencing a Covid-19 explosion, local officials are planning to go even further and decree a reconstitution, but political disagreements between the different jurisdictions prevent a unified and coherent response.

For his part, President Donald Trump maintains his line: "When we test, we create cases," he said on Monday. The mayor of Miami (Florida), Francis Suarez, yet also a Republican, meanwhile deemed it necessary to consider a return to containment measures, saying that the epidemic was "out of control".

With AFP

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