The three most populous states in the U.S. recorded their highest daily totals of new coronavirus cases on Wednesday. California announced more than 7,000, while Florida and Texas announced about 5,500 each. The “positivity rate” of tests in those states is increasing, which means the rise in cases discovered is not explained by increased test availability; in Florida and Texas, positivity rates have roughly doubled in the past week and tripled in the past month. Both of those states’ governors have been outspoken about keeping as many businesses and public spaces open as possible despite the recommendations of public health experts; neither state requires residents to wear masks in public. It’s only been in the past week that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has begun to emphasize the urgency of wearing masks in order to stop the spread of the virus throughout the bars, luxury stores, and nail salons that have been open to Texans for the past month. (Abbott had previously said that he personally recommended wearing masks, but his talking points on the subject included the caveat that to require anyone to put one on would be an infringement of “liberty.”)
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow addressed the situation on Thursday morning on CNBC:
“There is no second wave coming. It’s just hot spots. They send in CDC teams, we’ve got the testing procedures, we’ve got the diagnostics, we’ve got the PPE. And so I really think it’s a pretty good situation.”
Kudlow also spoke to reporters in person at the White House, saying that “We’re going to have hot spots, no question,” and that “we just have to live with that.”
Article URL: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/06/larry-kudlow-americans-just-have-to-live-with-covid-19.html