A reopening too early, guilty of spikes in COVID-19 in the US.

Washington, Jul 5 (EFE) .- Local officials in the US states most affected by the COVID-19 spikes, such as Florida and Arizona, blamed the increase in cases on Sunday too early, while The head of the agency tasked with approving a vaccine declined to set a timetable, even though President Donald Trump has said there will be one before 2021.
Miami, Florida Mayor Francis Suarez blamed the spike in infections on the reopening of bars and restaurants, in an interview with the ABC News television network.
“There is no doubt about the fact that when we reopened, people began to socialize as if the virus did not exist,” reflected the mayor.
THE MASK AS THE CAR BELT
Suarez compared the need for wearing face masks to wearing a seat belt in cars.
“If you have a car accident, you know, there is a good chance that you will be saved if you wear a belt,” he illustrated. “The same with the mask. If people wear a mask in public, there is a good chance that we can slow down or stop the expansion”.
In the case of Miami, the use of a face mask is mandatory and the infraction can carry from a mere notice to fines of between 50 and 500 dollars, depending on the incidence.
This position contrasts with that of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a faithful follower of Trump, who insists on the need to keep the economy active and refuses to make the use of face masks mandatory.
Florida, is one of the new outbreaks of contagion of the coronavirus in the US, and this Sunday exceeded 200,000 confirmed cases, adding 10,059 in the last 24 hours.
The state faces two critical weeks in hospitals, which may exceed its capacity if its spread cannot be stopped, especially in Miami-Dade, the epicenter of contagion.
Since March 1, 3,731 people have died from COVID-19 in Florida and 200,111 have been infected with the new coronavirus, according to figures released this Sunday by the state Department of Health.
PEOPLE BETWEEN 20 AND 44 YEARS OLD WHO DO NOT RESPECT SOCIAL DISTANCE
For her part, the mayor of Phoenix (Arizona), Kate Gallego, also considered in an interview with ABC News this Sunday that the state reopened too early and explained that during the last month there have been people between 20 and 44 years old who have not followed the recommendations to maintain social distance and wear a mask.
“We are seeing a lot of people who go to large family gatherings infecting their relatives,” said Gallego, who highlighted the difficulties they are encountering in testing for coronavirus in the state.
The mayor also criticized the Arizona governor, Republican Doug Ducey, for not always having made things easy.
“At first they did not let us do it, but fortunately the governor allowed the cities to order the use of masks, which I think will help,” he said.
Arizona health authorities have so far confirmed at least 98,089 cases and 1,809 deaths.
Thirty states in the US have reported an increase in infections in the two weeks prior to the beginning of July.
The country is the most affected in the world by the pandemic, with more than 2.8 million infected and more than 129,700 deaths, according to the independent count by Johns Hopkins University.
THE GOVERNMENT, PLEASE CONTINUE WITH DESCALADA
Despite the increase in infections during the de-escalation, the Secretary of Labor, Eugene Scalia, was in favor of continuing with the reopening: “We have new cases, we have to keep an eye on that. I think we can continue with the reopening in our places work safely, “he said.
In that sense, he assured Fox News that “it is important that people take social distancing seriously, wear masks in circumstances where they are not able to maintain social distance.”
“We can safely reopen, we can reopen as long as the virus is still here but it will be more complicated if people don’t take it seriously,” he warned.
Last night, Trump said the US could have a vaccine “long before the end of the year” and that the country was on the path to progress, during a speech at the White House on the occasion of Independence Day.
AGENCY IN CHARGE OF APPROVING VACCINE DOES NOT PUT A CALENDAR
However, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn, a member of the White House task force on the coronavirus crisis, declined to confirm a timetable.
“He couldn’t predict when a vaccine will be available,” Hahn told ABC News.
“We are seeing unprecedented speed for the development of a vaccine,” he reflected, “but our solemn promise to the American people is that we will make a decision based on data and science when it comes to the safety and effectiveness of that vaccine. ”
The FDA is the government agency that would be in charge of approving a vaccine if it is eventually developed.