(Washington) Should part of the United States be reconfigured? Elected officials were alarmed Sunday by the outbreak of coronavirus in their cities in the South and West of the United States, downplayed by President Donald Trump.
Posted on July 5 2020 at 12 h 55
Camille CAMDESSUS
France Media Agency
America, which has had record infections for more than a week, celebrated its national holiday this weekend, renowned for family reunions, barbecues, and fireworks, despite the pandemic.
On the New York beach of Coney Island reopened for swimming since Wednesday, there are few holidaymakers to sunbathe masked. Mark Ruiz, who came to picnic with his wife and two children, said he was “clearly worried”, but did not imagine staying at home for the July 4 festivities.
“I need to take my children out,” says the man from 37 years. “We can't stay in a bubble all summer. “
In an attempt to control the spread of the virus which the authorities admit to not fully control, some States have put on pause or even back pedaling in their deconfinement.
This weekend, the beaches of Los Angeles were closed again and Miami under curfew. In question, a deconfinement considered too premature, especially in the South and West of the country.
PHOTO ROBYN BECK, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A man looks at the road to Manhattan Beach, California.
“We were among the last to be confined and the first to be confused”, regretted with ABC Kate Gallego, mayor of the capital of Arizona, Phoenix.
The number of patients admitted to intensive care in the Southwest State reached levels never seen since the start of the crisis this weekend, with almost 90% of occupied beds.
“Ambiguous messages”
This spectacular increase is regularly downplayed by Donald Trump, who assured on Saturday that the United States was “on the verge” of emerging from this health crisis. Speaking from the White House gardens for the National Day celebrations, he assured that “99% ”Of coronavirus infections were“ completely harmless ”.
Not hiding his exasperation, the Democratic mayor of the Texas city of Austin described the tone of the president as “dangerous” for the inhabitants of his city, whose resuscitation services risk being overwhelmed ” here ten days. ”
“When they start to hear ambiguous messages leaving Washington, more and more of them do not wear a mask, stop social distancing,” he regretted on CNN.
PHOTO WILFREDO LEE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Motorists wait to access a COVID test site – 15 driving, Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The opponent of the Republican President in the November election, Joe Biden, denounced the words of the tenant of the White House: “Donald Trump wants to declare the end of this health and jobs crisis in order to be able to return to his campaign rallies. But he is wrong on both fronts. ”
While refusing to contradict the presidential speech, the head of the American drug agency (FDA) Stephen Hahn on Sunday urged all Americans to “take this situation seriously”. The pandemic has made nearly 130 00 0 deaths on American soil and the United States now shelters a quarter of the cases of coronavirus registered in the world.
“What we need now is to do what works, containment,” said Lina Hidalgo, a county chief including the city of Houston, home of the Texas epidemic, on Sunday.
Local authorities have so far been reluctant to invite residents to redefine themselves because of the weight of this measure on the American economy, already under pressure since February.
But despite an increase in hospitalizations, “the restaurants are still open. Indoor events can always take place, whatever their size, “she lamented. “This is what I am facing. “