Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Tuesday she and other coronavirus task force members did not expect the rapid resurgence of the virus as states started allowing businesses to reopen — including, in some states, bars and nightclubs. "None of us really anticipated the amount of community spread that began in really our 18-to-35-year-old age group," she said in a panel discussion at the Atlantic Council. "This is an age group that was so good and so disciplined through March and April. But when they saw people out and about on social media, they all went out and about."
The U.S. reached 3 million coronavirus cases on Tuesday, 500,000 of which were logged since June 26. "People under 40 have made up a significant portion of new cases recorded in states with recent outbreaks, a sign of how the virus has spread in bars, restaurants, and offices that have reopened," The New York Times reports. Ohio joined Texas, California, and other states in mandating mask wearing in public, and several hard-hit areas are reclosing bars and other businesses that foster close human contact.
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