US sets record for new coronavirus cases 3rd day in a row at nearly 69,000

WASHINGTON (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) - New cases of Covid-19 rose by nearly 69,000 across the United States on Friday (July 10), according to a Reuters tally, setting a record for the third consecutive day as Walt Disney Co stuck to its plans to reopen its flagship theme park in hard-hit Florida.

A total of nine US states - Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Ohio, Utah and Wisconsin - also reached records for single-day infections.

In Texas, another hot zone, Governor Greg Abbott warned on Friday he may have to impose new clampdowns if the state cannot stem its record-setting caseloads and hospitalisations - which reached the 10,000 benchmark for the first time on Friday - through masks and social distancing.

"If we don't adopt this best practice it could lead to a shutdown of business," the Republican governor told a local news channel in Lubbock, adding it was the last thing he wanted.

California announced on Friday the state will release up to 8,000 inmates early from prisons to slow the spread of Covid-19 inside the facilities.

At San Quentin State Prison, outside San Francisco, half of the facility's roughly 3,300 prisoners have tested positive for the virus.

In San Francisco, the authorities have delayed the reopening of businesses that provide personal services such as haircuts, massages, tattoos and manicures, from an originally planned restart on Monday.

The city made a similar move earlier this week to halt reopenings of indoor dining and outdoor bars.

"Reopening businesses that will encourage gathering and interacting with people outside of your own household is not the safe thing to do right now," Mayor London Breed said on Friday in a statement.

The city's new cases have jumped to 7.4 per 100,000 people, well above the goal of 1.8 and the rate of 3.5 when reopenings began on May 18.

Overall, the state of California reported 140 new virus deaths, second only to the 149 reported on Thursday as the most yet for the pandemic.

The 14-day average is 75, according to state health data.

Despite the jump in virus cases, the Walt Disney Co said the theme parks in Orlando would open on Saturday albeit to a limited number of guests who along with employees would be required to wear masks and undergo temperature checks.

But parades, firework displays and events that typically draw crowds will be cancelled.

Disney's chief medical officer said earlier this week she believed the rules would allow guests to visit the park safely.

Roughly 19,000 people, including some theme park workers, have signed a petition asking Disney to delay the reopening.

The union representing 750 Walt Disney World performers has filed a grievance against the company, claiming retaliation against members over a union demand that they be tested for Covid-19.

Other theme parks opened in Orlando in June, including Comcast's Universal Studios Orlando and SeaWorld Entertainment's SeaWorld.

Florida remains one of the worst hot spots for the virus in the nation and is among a handful of states where deaths are rising, based on a Reuters analysis of fatalities in the last two weeks, compared with the prior two weeks.

On Thursday, the state reported a record 120 deaths and added another 93 on Friday.

It recorded 11,433 new coronavirus cases on Friday, just short of the state's record, and nearly 7,000 hospitalisations.

Overall, the state reported 244,151 cases while deaths reached 4,102.

More than four dozen hospitals in Florida have reported their intensive care units were full.

This month, the state has repeatedly reported more new daily coronavirus cases than any European country had at the height of their outbreaks.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, angered some residents and medical experts by calling the spike a "blip".

On Friday, Mr DeSantis said that the state would receive more than 17,000 vials of the antiviral drug remdesivir from the US government.

"That'll be something that will hopefully help to improve patient outcomes."

Scott Burkee, a 43-year-old former Disney employee from Davenport, Florida, said Mr DeSantis "has shown zero effort to control the spread, he only becomes concerned when Mr Trump does. The virus is clearly out of control."

US President Donald Trump travelled to Florida on Friday for an event at the US military's Southern Command and a campaign fund raiser.

The president has sparred with state and local officials and teachers unions over the reopening of schools and said on Friday the Treasury Department would reexamine the tax-exempt status and funding of those that remain closed.

Mr Trump previously vowed to cut federal funding to the schools and eject foreign students attending universities in the United States unless their schools offer in-person classes.

Most education funds come from state and local coffers.

In New York, residents of nursing homes and long-term facilities will be allowed to have visitors, health officials said.

They must be virus-free for at least 28 days, and no more than two visitors will be allowed at a time.

Visitors must have their temperature checked, wear face coverings, and socially distance during the visit, according to the guidance.

Only 10 per cent of the residents in each facility can be allowed visitors at any one time.

The number of cases in New York, which was once the epicentre of the US outbreak, remains low with 786 new infections and eight deaths reported on Friday.

Of the 73,558 tests conducted in the state, 786, or 1.06 per cent, were positive.

The trend in New York stands in contrast to the rapid surge in cases across the US.

So far, the country has over three million confirmed infections, according to a Reuters tally, stoking fears that hospitals will be overwhelmed.

Nearly 134,000 Americans have died, a toll that experts warn will likely rise along with the number of cases.

Overall, coronavirus cases are rising in 44 American states, based on a Reuters analysis of cases for the past two weeks compared with the prior two weeks.