A day after Dr. Anthony Fauci told Congress that he was worried by what he described as a 'disturbing surge' of new Coronavirus cases nationwide, the U.S. set a record for the most new virus cases in one day with over 38,000, as three states hit hard by the initial virus outbreak moved to place travel restrictions on people from states with high infection rates.
During a television interview on Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot characterized the jump in cases as a 'massive outbreak,' as he raised the possibility of renewed restrictions on activities in the Lone Star State.
Texas reported 4,389 hospitalizations for the virus, up almost 300 from a record high on Tuesday.
"We're heading in the wrong direction," said Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D), whose state suffered earlier this year, but has seen a rebound in cases in recent weeks.
California led the renewed surge of virus cases with 7,149 reported on Wednesday, a one day record. Texas also had a new record at 5,551 cases. And Florida also set a state mark with 5,511 new cases.
Meanwhile, the Governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut banded together to require a 14-day self quarantine by people who travel into their states from places like Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas.
"We have a very real problem right now where many states are experiencing an increased spread of COVID-19 virus, just as New York is seeing the lowest infection rate," Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) said.
The move was somewhat ironic, given that Florida had imposed the same kind of self-quarantine requirement on visitors from those states three months earlier, when New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut were seeing elevated cases and deaths.
Democrats also appealed to GOP Governors to require their citizens to wear masks in public, in order to stem the spread of the virus.
“We need a national COVID-19 testing strategy,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), as Democrats criticized the White House for downplaying the threat of the virus.
“Every few days we are seeing another new record in FL COVID-19 cases. This is not a coincidence, it’s a trend,” said Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL).
President Trump has repeatedly asserted that the jump in virus cases is directly related to increased testing - but figures from the states show a rising rate of positive tests, which is an indication that the virus is spreading faster.
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