With the US gradually reopening its economy, 23 states led by California, Texas, Florida and Arizona have already started recording spike in the number of new cases of coronavirus as compared to the previous week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Despite three single-day highs of new corona cases in last week and 5,000 deaths, a latest order has been issued allowing reopening of movie theatres in parts of California, The Washington Post reported.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who had extended the stay-at-home order statewide in early March, has been quoted as saying, "As we phase in -- in a responsible way -- a reopening of the economy, we've made it abundantly clear that we anticipate an increase in the total number of positive cases."
He, however, has ordered that the Californians will have to wear face masks in all indoor and outdoor public areas.
Meanwhile, in Southern California, Los Angeles and Orange counties are set to opening their economies entirely despite recording some of their highest numbers of new cases in months. Los Angeles County reported 2,056 new cases and 48 deaths on Saturday.
The Orange County, which for weeks have been resisting the stay at home regulations, recorded on Saturday a record-high 413 new COVID-19 cases. Earlier this month, the Orange County public health officer was forced to resign after her order on masks sparked large protests at her home and personal threats.
"Masking has become controversial. It shouldn't be," Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. "It's a simple intervention. It's a collective action we can all take to help protect our fellow citizens and also protect ourselves and try to reopen the economy safely."
However, California's Santa Barbara County has decided not to reopen the businesses until health officials take a better understanding of the virus. On Thursday last week, it recorded a near-record 81 new cases.
In Texas, one of the first states to push forward with reopening, Austin Mayor Steve Adler was reported to have been saying, "When the governor started reopening, I wish he had done it a little slowly so we could have seen the numbers in each one of the phases before we moved on to the next phase."
The New York City, which was once the epicentre of the crisis, has begun its second phase of reopening its economy. The phase two reopening includes outdoor dining, barbershops and hair salons, playgrounds, offices and curbside retail stores can welcome customers.
Meanwhile, 17 states are reporting a decline in new cases. They are Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylva, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont.
( With inputs from ANI )