On 12 occasions this week AlertsUSA subscribers were notified via SMS messages to their mobile devices regarding safety and security matters.
Most important for this report:
Just weeks after the COVID-19 coronavirus overwhelmed hospitals in and around New York City, medical centers in Arizona, Florida, Texas and other southern and western states are rapidly filling with sick patients, threatening state health care systems.
In California, the number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients surged 32% in the last two weeks. In Arizona, as of Wednesday, 88% of the Intensive Care Unit beds statewide were occupied, up from 68 per cent in just one month ago. In Texas, state health officials report the number of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 has more than doubled in just 10 days. As a result, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this week issued an executive order suspending elective surgeries at hospitals in the state’s largest counties, including those home to Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, as well as restricted bars to delivery and takeout service and restaurants to reduce seating capacity.
"At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars. The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and enhance public health," Abbott said.
On Wednesday of this week, the Governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut issued a joint travel advisory that requires people arriving from states with high coronavirus rates to self-quarantine for 14 days. According to the joint announcement, the travel advisory applies to anyone coming from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average. As of Wednesday, the advisory applies to people traveling from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Texas.
The tri-state measure will use uniform parameters and messaging on highways, in airports and other transportation hubs, as well as websites and social media across the three states. Each will also ask hotels to communicate the 14-day quarantine to guests who have traveled from one of the impacted states. Violating the quarantine mandate may also come with a penalty.
In New York, those violating the quarantine could be subject to a judicial order and mandatory quarantine, as well as a $2,000 fine for the first violation, $5,000 for the second violation, and $10,000 if harm is caused.
Fauci Blames Young Americans for New Case Surge
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Coronavirus Task Force member, singled out young Americans for being the most active spreaders of the virus.
“The overwhelming majority of people who are now getting infected are young people, like the people that you see in the clips in the paper or out in the crowds enjoying themselves.”
“The thing that you really need to realize, that when you do that you are part of a process, so if you get infected, you will infect someone else.”
Comments made in this briefing by Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Fauci on some of the unique challenge the virus poses, as well as the national response, are very enlightening. Watch a replay.
Most U.S. Travelers Will Be Barred From E.U. When Bloc Reopens
Officials announced on Friday that the European Union will bar most travelers from the United States, Russia, and dozens of other countries considered too risky because they have not controlled the coronavirus outbreak. By contrast, travelers from more than a dozen countries that are not overwhelmed by the coronavirus will be welcomed when the bloc reopens on July 1.
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant.
