NEW YORK • Alabama, Florida and North Carolina reported record daily increases in deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday, grim new milestones that mark a second wave of infections surging across much of the United States.
Florida, which has become an epicentre of the new outbreak, reported 133 new Covid-19 fatalities on Tuesday, raising the state's death toll to more than 4,500.
"We must all continue to do our part to protect Florida's most vulnerable and avoid the 3 Cs: closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings," Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on Twitter. "Safeguarding the elderly and those with underlying health conditions will continue to be our top priority."
Ms Mandi Hawke, who runs a small children's book company near Fort Lauderdale, said she recently made her first trip to the local mall in months and was "horrified" by what she saw.
"Almost no one was wearing masks. I walked past an ale house and everyone was jammed in right next to one another, laughing and joking, having a good time but no masks," said Ms Hawke, 38. "As bad as things are in south Florida, I feel they're only going to get worse. We are not getting a grip on this."
Alabama reported a record spike of 40 deaths on Tuesday, while North Carolina had an increase of 35, bringing each state's total to over 1,100.
The number of new US cases reported daily began rising about six weeks ago, driven by increases in southern and western states. Texas saw a record 10,745 new cases on Tuesday.
With more than 3.5 million cases, the United States has one of the highest rates of cases per capita in the world. It ranks seventh in fatalities per capita among the 20 countries with the most cases, recording more than 139,000 deaths.
Deaths have begun rising for the first time since mid-April when comparing the weekly change in fatalities, according to a Reuters analysis.
US Vice-President Mike Pence on Tuesday visited Louisiana, which reported nearly 13,000 new cases last week. The state's attorney-general Jeff Landry cancelled a meeting with Mr Pence after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Against the backdrop of rising cases and deaths, many US school districts have been confronted with a difficult choice of resuming classes or using only online teaching.
Both Florida and New York state have said students will be allowed to return to school.
North Carolina's governor on Tuesday ordered schools to reopen if safety measures can be met but said districts can opt to go with online learning.
California's two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, have said that students will be kept home for the term beginning next month.
Districts refusing to allow students to return to school are at odds with US President Donald Trump, who has said he may withhold federal funds or remove their tax-exempt status. Most schools are financed largely by state and local taxes.
In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Mr Trump lambasted Los Angeles and San Diego school districts, saying it was a mistake for them to provide only online education.
"I would tell parents and teachers that you should find yourself a new person, whoever's in charge of that decision, because it's a terrible decision," Mr Trump said.
"Because children and parents are dying from that trauma too. They're dying because they can't do what they're doing. Mothers can't go to work because all of a sudden they have to stay home and watch their child, and fathers," he said.
Mr Trump's campaign views the reopening of classrooms, enabling parents to get back to work, as a key to economic recovery and a boost to his re-election chances on Nov 3.
The nation's 98,000 public schools are a cornerstone of the economy, providing childcare for working parents, employing eight million workers prior to the pandemic, and preparing some 50 million students to join the US workforce.
REUTERS
