This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
Coronavirus Cases Surge in the US ¶
As the United States reached its third consecutive day with a record number of new reported coronavirus infections, officials were urgently rethinking their strategies to head off new infections.
On Friday, the US reported more than 45,000 new infections, according to a Times database, surpassing the previous daily record of 36,738 set on April 24.
At least six US states - Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Oregon, South Carolina, and Utah - reported their highest one-day case totals, and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the country's top infectious diseases expert, warned that outbreaks in the South and West could engulf the country.
Dr. Fauci said officials were having 'intense discussions' about a possible shift to 'pool testing,' in which samples from many people are tested at once in an effort to quickly find and isolate those who are infected.
European Union officials said the bloc was ready to bar most travelers from the US and other countries considered too risky because they have not controlled the outbreaks.
Some US governors were backtracking on reopening their states, issuing new restrictions on some elements of public life.
On Saturday, Mayor Carlos Giménez of Miami-Dade County in Florida said he would sign an emergency order closing beaches from July 3 to July 7, citing a surge in new cases and fears about mass gatherings during the July Fourth holiday weekend.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced new restrictions on Imperial County, which has the state's highest rate of infection.
He said, 'This disease does not take a summer vacation.'
Other international news includes the Hong Kong police banning an annual pro-democracy march planned for the anniversary of the semiautonomous Chinese territory's handover from British rule, citing concerns about the virus and potential street violence.
The Pandemic Tests Obamacare ¶
The Affordable Care Act, the landmark health law, is being tested as never before as millions of Americans lose their jobs and medical coverage in the midst of the pandemic.
The law offers most newly unemployed people a path to stopgap health coverage, providing a cushion that did not exist during the last crushing recession, or ever before.
However, the crisis also highlights fundamental weaknesses in its patchwork system.
This week, the Trump administration continued the Republican Party's push to abolish the law, with the Justice Department asking the Supreme Court to overturn the legislation.
