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US states resist second lockdown

Coronavirus cases are on the rise in two dozen states, including Florida, which just reported a record day of new infections.

Coronavirus cases have been rising in two dozen states over the last 14 days. Of these, Texas, Florida, Arizona and California have emerged as the country's latest virus epicentres. And yet governors in many of these states are resisting efforts to close down economic and social activity, or a 鈥渟econd lockdown".

Republican strategist Chris Ingram in Tampa, Florida, explains to Business Daily's Ed Butler the thinking behind allowing most Americans, apart from the most vulnerable, to get back to normal life. But some Floridians are not waiting for directions from the government. Ed Boas, owner of Lanes clothing store, describes the precautions he鈥檚 taking on his own initiative.

Meanwhile Dr Cheryl Holder, at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University, says that while the state is better-equipped to deal with a second wave, she鈥檚 concerned many young people think themselves invulnerable. And Wendell Potter, former health insurance broker turned whistle-blower, explains how the US healthcare system is leaving tens of millions of people untreated, potentially worsening the public health crisis.

(Picture: A pamphlet on how to stay safe from COVID-19 being distributed in Miami, Florida; Credit: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

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Thu 2 Jul 2020 07:32GMT

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