Several states in the U.S. are eyeing potential economy reopening in the coming weeks as slight declines in new COVID-19 cases are felt. However, health experts have warned against reopening too fast.
Fauci Urges States to Reconsider Reopening Soon
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the White House's anti-coronavirus task force said on Tuesday that there will be serious consequences for regions that reopen their economies too early and without proper consideration of potential infection resurgence, CNN reported.
Fauci explained the importance of not reopening the economy until authorities are sure that their capabilities in handling a resurgence are enough to prevent massive outbreaks.
In his speech before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Fauci further argued that he is concerned about states that choose to "prematurely open up" if the states aren't capable of effectively responding to increases in new coronavirus cases upon lifting the stay-at-home order.
Fauci's comments came hours before a key model used by the White House projected 10,000 more deaths in the United States than the previous projection.
Model Projects Up to 147,000 Deaths
The model projected that up to 147,000 lives will be lost to COVID-19 in the U.S. by August 4 as more states ease up on social distancing regulations.
According to Forbes, the new projection from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IMHE) at the University of Washington saw an increase of around 12,000 deaths from its previous prediction earlier this month.
The IMHE explained that its previous projection was based on the assumption that the U.S. will also apply the same method New Zealand took in gradually reopening the economy. New Zealand retained social distancing until domestic and international COVID-19 transmissions are at a significantly low rate.
Fauci's comments of premature economy reopening echoed the IMHE's concerns that many states in the country may be racing too fast towards economic recovery and making health less of a priority.
Arizona to Lift Stay-at-Home Order
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday announced that the stay-at-home order in the state will be lifted this week. He added that public swimming pools and gyms will also be reopened as part of his government's plans to ease out of social distancing measures.
Aside from announcing that gyms will be reopened Wednesday if they follow health recommendations from the authorities, Ducey encouraged professional sports to resume their seasons even without fans around.
Amid the lifting of Arizona's stay-at-home order, Ducey noted that "we're going to proceed with caution" in terms of gradually reopening the local economy.
Arizona as of Tuesday logged a total of 11,383 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 542 deaths.
Latin America's Brazil and Mexico Record Deadliest Day Since Coronavirus Outbreak
Brazil and Mexico on Tuesday reported record-high deaths since the first cases in the Latin American countries were registered, The Guardian reported.
Mexico reported 353 new fatalities from the coronavirus and Brazil reported 881 deaths from the highly-infectious disease. The countries now have a total of 3,926 and 12,461 deaths from the virus respectively.
As for the U.S., the country logged a total of 1,384,784 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 80,681 deaths.
