Cars waiting at a coronavirus testing site in Miami on Friday. | AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
Southern states reported a surge in coronavirus cases Saturday, setting records across the board just days after the U.S. as a whole saw its most cases ever in a 24-hour period.
Florida on Saturday reported a record 9,585 new cases. Arizona reported 3,591 new cases, appearing to match a single-day record set earlier this week. Nevada, Georgia, and South Carolina also reported record numbers of cases on Saturday.
Texas reported 5,747 new cases as of Saturday afternoon, nearing Thursday’s record 5,996 new cases. Saturday marked the fifth consecutive day new coronavirus cases in Texas topped 5,000.
Florida, Arizona and Texas are among a handful of states halting reopening plans amid the recent coronavirus surge. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reimposed some restrictions on Friday, including shuttering bars. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey stopped short of ordering new restrictions but said the state would slow plans to reopen.
All three states were among the first to lift the orders even as cases continued to climb nationwide.
Vice President Mike Pence is postponing campaign events in Florida and Arizona this week amid the virus spike, a Trump campaign spokesperson confirmed Saturday.
The U.S. set a single-day record of more than 40,000 new cases on Thursday, according to the most recent figures released by the Centers for Disease Control, and the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus continues to climb.
In a coronavirus task force briefing on Friday, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said certain areas of the country are facing a “serious problem.”
“What goes on in one area of the country, ultimately could have an effect on the other areas of the country,” Fauci said.
