Covid: Michigan and Washington State clamp down as US cases pass 11 million mark

Michigan and Washington are the latest US states to bring in strict measures to try and curb the spread of Covid-19.

High schools and colleges are to halt on-site teaching and restaurants are prohibited from offering indoor dining in Michigan from Wednesday.

Indoor restaurant dining is also banned in Washington State, and gyms, cinemas, theatres and museums will close.

Covid cases have now topped 11 million in the US, with daily cases rising by more than 100,000.

On average, more than 900 people a day are dying with the virus, and the overall death toll is now at least 246,210.

The Trump administration struck an optimistic tone on Friday, saying they hoped to distribute 20 million doses of an approved vaccine in December, and for each month after that – although vaccines have yet to get official approval.

President Donald Trump again ruled out putting the US into lockdown, but many states are introducing their own restrictions as fast rising cases threaten to overwhelm their healthcare systems.

How worried are the state governors?

Both Michigan and Washington State have seen covid cases double in recent weeks.

Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the state was “at the precipice” and could soon suffer 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths a week unless action is taken.

As well as suspending in-person teaching and indoor dining, Ms Whitmer also ordered the closure of public entertainment venues for a period of three weeks.

The curbs announced in Washington State come into effect on Monday evening and will last a month.

“Today, Sunday, November 15, 2020, is the most dangerous public health day in the last 100 years of our state’s history,” Governor Jay Inslee said.

“A pandemic is raging in our state. Left unchecked, it will assuredly result in grossly overburdened hospitals and morgues; and keep people from obtaining routine but necessary medical treatment for non-Covid conditions.”

What’s the situation elsewhere in the US?

Oregon and New Mexico brought in tighter restrictions on Saturday.

California on Friday became the second state, after Texas, to hit one million Covid cases, prompting local officials to hit pause on reopening efforts.

In other developments:

• Republican governors in Iowa, Ohio, West Virginia, Utah and North Dakota issued mask mandates
• Ohio’s governor threatened to shut bars and gyms if the outbreak worsens
• In Minnesota, bars and restaurants must shut by 22:00 local time
• Wisconsin and Nevada residents were asked to stay at home for two weeks to avoid a return to restrictions
• The Democratic governors of California, Oregon and Washington State issued a travel advisory, discouraging non-essential travel and requesting people to quarantine post-travel
• New York ordered bars and restaurants that serve alcohol to close by 22:00 local time; gatherings are limited to 10 people; the city could also close schools on Monday
• The city of Chicago has a stay-at-home advisory, and non-essential businesses must close by 23:00 local time; gatherings are limited to 10 people
• The city of Detroit moved all students to remote learning due to the virus spikes
• Indiana halted reopening and limited social gatherings and events
• Maryland ordered restaurants to reduce indoor capacity to 50%

Concerns as another holiday approaches

Outbreaks in the spring and summer followed US schools’ spring breaks and the national Labor Day holiday weekend – and now experts are concerned that as Thanksgiving approaches on 26 November, the spikes will again worsen.

That is the situation playing out across the border in Canada, where people celebrated their Thanksgiving a month ago. The country’s top doctors say that the holiday is partly why cities and provinces are now seeing record infections.

BBC