In a surprise reversal of reopening tends around the country, several populous states, including Florida, Texas and California ordered beaches cleared and bars shuttered, as the nation sees a second wave of coronvirus AKA SARS CoV-2 or Covid-19 cases. No one expected Florida and Texas’ Republican governors Ron DeSantis (R-Fl.) and Greg Abbott (F-Tx.) to order the public health shutdown of bars and recreational venues where officials believe the latest upsurge in cases are swamping emergency rooms and hospital admissions. President Donald Trump couldn’t get worse publicity, pounding more nails in his reelection bid, watching the deadly coronavirus spike around the country. California’s 48-year-old Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), maybe the most strict public health governor in the U.S., ordered Los Angles County and six other counties to shutdown bars and nightclubs.
When Wall Street opens tomorrow, it’s going to digest more bad news about the new spike in Covid-19 cases around the country, something that dropped the Dow Jones Industrial Average 730.05 points Friday, June 26, promising another drop when markets open tomorrow. When you consider the lethal combination of the coronavirus and racial protests around the country, Trump has been hammered in the polls. While there’s still time between now and the election, things look bleak for Trump. When Trump’s public health experts, led by 80-year-old National Institutes of Health Infectious Disease Chief Dr. Anthony Fauci urged Trump to shut down businesses in March, it created catastrophic damage to the U.S. economy. It didn’t take long for the record 3.5% unemployment rate to spiral up to 15% nationwide, throwing ordinary citizens into the help wanted lines.
Democrat presumptive nominee 77-year-old former Vice President Joe Biden has been the lucky recipient of all of Trump’s bad news. National and battleground state polls show a convergence around Biden, with Trump continuing to lose ground. “After consulting with our County’s public health experts, I will be signing an emergency order on Saturday to close all beaches in Miami-Dade County starting Friday, July 3 and ending July 7,” Mami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a statement June 26. More bad news from Trump, especially in Florida, only makes things worse for the president. With business on the rise, the last thing the economy needed was more shutdowns, adding to more economic damage. Gimenez said violators would be subject to a $500 fine or 180 days in jail.
Florida’s 421year-old Gov. Ron DeSannti, among the most liberal governors about reopening, announced Friday that he would implement a ban immediately on bars and nightclubs serving alcoholic beverages. When you consider the budget shortfalls in cities, counties and states around the country, the last think anyone needed were more shutdowns. “Closing bars in these counties is on of a number of targeted actions counties are implementing across our state to slow the virus spread and reduce risk,” said California State Department of Public Health Director Sonia Angell. While there’s less surprise in California over shutdowns, Texas residents were stunned by Gov. Abbott’s June 26 order to shutdown bars and restrict access to sit-down restaurants to slow the virus in Tezas. Houston-based Texas Medical Center [TMC] reported 22% of hospitalized cases result in deaths.
Newsom wasted no time in shutting down bars in seven California, including in the most populated Los Angeles. Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, San Joaquin and Tulare will also close all bars and nightclubs. “That’s why it is critical we take this step to limit the spread of the virus in the counties that are seeing the biggest increase,” Newsom said. Newsom urged all citizens to obey the statewide order to wear face-coverings in public and adhere to social distancing and hygiene guidelines where possible. “Public health professional within California and throughout the nation have identified bars as the highest risk sector of non-essential business currently open,” Newsom said, urging law enforcement to crackdown. :Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the recent surge in new Covid-19 cases were not due to more testing but more human-to-human transmission.
Escalating Covid-19 cases around the country are due to reopening businesses not more testing. Whether recent street demonstrations added to the spike in cases is anyone’s guess. But public officials think that when alcohol is served in close proximity in bars and nightclubs, intoxicated customers are less inclined to follow preventive social distancing rules. Getting a handle on the latest wave of cornoavirus cases is essential to avoid wider shutdowns, something no one wants. Most new cases reported around the country were in the 18-40 demographic, youthful party-goers and bar-hoppers spreading the virus to a young population. Hospital death rates have been down in most areas, related to the age of new cases. Older demographics have heeded warnings and are avoiding exposure in high traffic areas. When Wall Street digests this weekend’s closures, markets won’t be too happy.
