US on Labor Day Holiday, on High Alert to Prevent Another COVID-19 Surge

Pouch points out, "Increase in infections after Labor Day"
Concerns over fall resurgence as flu season overlaps

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] The United States, entering the Labor Day holiday, is on high alert over concerns about a possible resurgence of COVID-19.

U.S. health authorities and experts warned of the potential for a COVID-19 resurgence during the Labor Day holiday period and urged compliance with prevention guidelines, reported the Washington Post (WP) on the 5th (local time).

President Donald Trump urged Americans to remain vigilant during the Labor Day holiday in a White House briefing the day before, saying, "We must not let our guard down during the Labor Day holiday," while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called for strict adherence to mask-wearing, social distancing, and hand washing.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases under the National Institutes of Health, warned in an interview with Bloomberg News that cases could surge during the holiday in seven states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois.

Dr. Fauci pointed out, "If we do not pay attention to prevention measures, it could result in a significant increase in infections after Labor Day."

The reason health authorities are sounding the alarm simultaneously is because they have already experienced a resurgence of COVID-19 due to prevention failures during holiday periods.

The Memorial Day holiday in late May coincided with the easing of economic lockdowns, triggering a second wave of COVID-19 in the U.S. At that time, many people ignored prevention guidelines and visited beaches and parks, leading to a surge in cases in the 'Sun Belt' regions such as Texas, Florida, Arizona, and California.

The New York Times (NYT) reported, "One month after the Memorial Day holiday ended, the weekly average of new cases soared to around 60,000."

Some experts have also predicted that COVID-19 will indeed resurge after the Labor Day holiday.

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, warned that based on current trends of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., the virus is likely to spread again in the fall when the flu season begins.

Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine said, "I am afraid of what will happen after the Labor Day holiday," adding, "It seems that a significant number of Americans are gathering without masks and are not paying attention to social distancing."

According to Johns Hopkins University, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has reached approximately 6.23 million, with total deaths exceeding 188,200 to date.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.