California and Some Other States See Coronavirus Cases Rise

Johns Hopkins University says states including California, Utah, Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, and Texas have reported spikes in confirmed coronavirus cases, reports the Wall Street Journal . Meanwhile, New York City has witnessed declining cases and deaths, and intends to commence its economic reopening today. "In some places we have made amazing progress, and there are other places where I remain very concerned about what's going on," said Columbia University epidemiologist Wafaa El-Sadr. The current overall daily count of new coronavirus cases in the United States stands at about 20,000, down from a peak of more than 30,000 in April. All states have begun removing stay-at-home orders to varying degrees, and public-health experts urge continued precautions like wearing masks to prevent new surges. Some evidence implies that the easing of social-distancing practices has played a role in an increase in COVID-19 cases in certain places. University of California, Berkeley Professor Joseph Lewnard thinks these spikes are connected to activities during the Memorial Day weekend and to the relaxation of some states' shelter-in-place mandates at that time.