U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Surpass 118,000, New Cases Up In 23 States; California Orders Mandatory Masks As Coronavirus Cases Rise
BLITZER: More 118,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus over the past three months. And as new cases a rise in 23 states, many officials are now considering new restrictions. CNN National Correspondent, Erica Hill, has the late breaking developments.</s>ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Record single-day highs for new cases, just over 2,500 added today in Arizona, more than 3,200 reported in Florida.</s>DR. JEANNE MARRAZZO, DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM: Florida has always made the stuff of nightmares for me, I think, for me.</s>HILL: New modeling predicts that state could become the next epicenter. The president dismissing data.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you look, the numbers are very miniscule compared to what it was. It's dying out.</s>DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: One of the problems we face in the United States is that, unfortunately, there is a combination of an anti-science bias. They just don't believe science and they don't believe authority. And that's unfortunate because, you know, science is truth.</s>HILL: Florida is one of ten states posting their highest seven-day averages for new cases, as 23 state reporting uptick in new cases over the past weeks. New York, among the 19, seeing a decline, as Governor Cuomo considers a quarantine for anyone traveling to his State from Florida.</s>GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): I have experts who have advised me to do that. Who would believe this 180 turnaround?</s>HILL: Face coverings now mandatory statewide in California. Local officials in hard hit Texas and Arizona pushing for stricter regulations citing the science.</s>DR. COLLEEN KRATT, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT, EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Wearing a masks, you're not wearing a mask shouldn't be how you're going to vote in the upcoming election. It's really about protecting yourself from an infection.</s>HILL: When it comes to infection, those with type A blood have a higher risk of catching the virus and developing severe symptoms. Type O has the lowest risk, according to new research just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The nation's top infectious disease expert optimistic about a vaccine.</s>FAUCI: We'll going to move fast and we'll going to assume we're going to be successful. And if we're not, the only thing we've lost is money. But better lose money than lose lives by delaying the vaccine.</s>HILL: Football likely sidelined this season. Dr. Fauci telling CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, unless players are essentially in a bubble, insulated from the community and tested nearly every day, it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall. 13 players at the University of Texas positive for the virus, according to the school. College football is slated for kickoff August 29th.</s>HILL: Here in New York City, phase two can come likely on Monday according to the mayor, and what that would include is outdoor dining, which could be really important, of course, in this city which has been limited to delivery and takeout. Interestingly, we also heard from Governor Cuomo today about an executive order that any businesses violating the reopening guidelines and regulations could lose their liquor license, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Erica Hill, in New York for us. Thank you. Let's get some more on the coronavirus pandemic right now. Let's bring in the Houston mayor, Sylvester Turner. Mayor Turner, thanks so much for joining us. As you know, today marks the seventh day in a row. Your State of Texas has reported a record high in coronavirus hospitalizations. These are not just new cases, but thousands of people in Texas are sick enough tonight to require care in a hospital. What more does your state need to do to address this clearly growing crisis?</s>MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D-TX), HOUSTON: Well, Wolf, what we know is that wearing of a mask, face coverings, social distancing, proper hygiene have worked. Look, towards the end of April to first week in May, we had definitely flattened the curve and we had very good numbers and things were moving in the right direction. Now, things are starting to swing upwards. You know, people are re-socializing, reengaging. The state has opened up even more. And now we are seeing more people heading to our hospitals and we are concerned. And so, you know, local governments had been prohibited, for example, in putting in any restrictions about non-mayors across the State of Texas as the governor this week to impose greater restrictions or to allow us locally to impose some restrictions, like face coverings. And as of yesterday, I think the governor now is allowing local government authorities to at least should be able to require businesses and to require their employees and those visiting their businesses to at least put on face coverings.</s>BLITZER: And that is clearly a step in the right direction but it's just a step. As you may have heard today, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, is now requiring masks be worn in public settings throughout the State of California. You have joined other mayors in Texas and asking your governor, Governor Abbott, to give you at least some authority to require that masks be worn in your City of Houston. Would Texans be better protected if Governor Abbott would follow California, the lead of California's governor?</s>TURNER: Well, what I can tell you is that we know scientifically that the wearing of masks, face coverings, work. That we do know. There was a point in time, for example, when there was a requirement in Houston Harris County and the lines were very long, people were asking for a mask, coming to the mask distributions. But when the requirement was eliminated, then those lines stopped and people were not asking for them. Look, no one is trying to jail anyone. No one is even trying to impose civil penalties. What we were doing, for example, in Houston, we were saying to our police officers, instead of citing people, we were giving the people a mask. But when there's no any requirement was in place, people were responding. Once you eliminate that, then people simply were walking around, engaging in large group, and they weren't having the face coverings, and now we're seeing the number of hospitalizations start to go up. So we need to get on top of it and we need to get on top of it very quickly. And what the governor allowed local authorities to do the other day was a step in the right direction. We need to go a bit further.</s>BLITZER: Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston, good luck to all the folks in Houston, good luck to all the folks in Texas right now. The numbers are not encouraging. Thanks so much for joining us.</s>TURNER: Thanks, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Be sure to join Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper for a new CNN Town Hall, Coronavirus, Facts and Fears. That airs later tonight, 8:00 P.M. Eastern only here on CNN. Just ahead, new cases are on the rise in 23 states. We'll discuss that and all the latest developments on the pandemic with the former acting director of the CDC, Dr. Richard Besser. Plus, is the NFL season in jeopardy right now? Dr. Anthony Fauci says the league needs to make major changes to keep players safe. Stay with us. We have the late breaking developments.