15 states and cities are pausing or reversing their reopenings as coronavirus cases spike — here's how their plans are changing

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• Arizona and Florida are closing bars ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, Texas is rolling back its reopening, and California has shuttered nightlife as coronavirus cases in the states climb steeply.
• Many states have seen surges in COVID-19 cases after reopening, leading state and city officials to reimpose restrictions or delay next steps.
• Here are the 15 states and cities that have slowed or backtracked their reopenings so far.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As the US opens back up, the coronavirus is taking advantage of the new opportunities to spread.

As of Monday, at least 32 states are seeing increases in daily coronavirus cases. The inclines are particularly steep in a number of Southern states, including Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Many are reporting more cases than they've ever seen on a daily basis.

"This is a continuation of the first wave," Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told Business Insider. "Some places that might have been relatively spared early on in the winter and the spring are now facing cases higher than they had before."

As a result, many states and cities are dialing back their reopening efforts, reverting to earlier phases or postponing next steps.

Here are the places that are slowing down or walking back their reopening plans.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey just ordered bars, gyms, movie theaters, water parks, and tubing businesses to close again. It was the latest in a series of leaders' decisions to delay or reverse lockdown lifts.

Cheney Orr/Reuters

Ducey's executive order, released on Monday, is set to last through at least July 27. The order cited an "exponential pace" of the virus's spread, especially among people ages 20 to 44.

"There has not been sufficient time for mask mandates and limiting groups to have a demonstrable effect on containing the spread," the order read. "Additional measures need to be taken to ensure quicker containment."

Ducey also announced that Arizona schools will not reopen for in-person classes until at least August 17 — a couple weeks later than is standard.

Arizona's average daily case count has increased fivefold since the beginning of June. The state saw 3,809 new cases on Sunday alone.

Ducey said Thursday that 1 in 5 Arizona coronavirus tests are coming back positive.

Will Humble, the former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said in early June that the surge in new cases was "definitely related" to the lifted stay-at-home order.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott rolled back his state's reopening plan, closing businesses and restoring restrictions on restaurants and gatherings.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Abbott announced a pause in reopening on Thursday, saying businesses that have already reopened would be allowed to continue operating at limited capacity. Then on Friday, he shifted course, shuttering bars, limiting restaurant capacity to 50%, closing tubing and rafting businesses, and mandating government approval for gatherings of 100 or more people.

The renewed restrictions came as Texas reported that more than 10% of its COVID-19 tests are coming back positive.

"The rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars," Abbott said in a statement. "The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and enhance public health. We want this to be as limited in duration as possible."

Texas was one of the first states in the country to start reopening from its coronavirus lockdown in early May. The state has seen a surge in cases since then.

On June 23 alone, more than 5,000 new cases were reported in Texas — a number Abbott described as a "massive outbreak." The next day, the state reported more than 6,500 more cases.

Dr. Peter Hotez, who is working on developing a COVID-19 vaccine, called Texas's situation "absolutely horrifying." He told the BBC that what's unfolding there is a "humanitarian catastrophe."

California has shuttered bars and nightlife in seven counties as cases surge in Los Angeles and the Central Valley.

Mike Blake/Reuters

On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered bars and nightlife to close in Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, San Joaquin, and Tulare counties. He recommended that such businesses close in eight other counties: Contra Costa, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, and Ventura.

"Californians must remain vigilant against this virus," Newsom said in a statement. "COVID-19 is still circulating in California, and in some parts of the state, growing stronger. That's why it is critical we take this step to limit the spread of the virus in the counties that are seeing the biggest increases."

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

• Charts show which major US cities are winning and losing against the coronavirus
• Health officials are receiving death threats, and over 20 have left their jobs after weeks of targeted harassment
• Young adults are driving the surge in coronavirus cases in Arizona, Florida, and Texas, officials say. Patients' median ages are dropping.

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