Mask mandates were consistently recommended for states and cities where the virus is spreading. Noting that Arizona, included in the red zone, had seen cases level off in recent days, the report credited its “aggressive mitigation efforts of mask wearing, social distancing and closing bars.”
But some governors continue to be resistant. When Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the Trump administration’s coronavirus response coordinator, visited Tennessee on Monday, she spoke with Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, about mask mandates, but he was loath to issue a statewide order. “We talked about statewide mandates; we also talked about alternative approaches,” he said afterward.
The report put it more bluntly: “Statewide mask mandate is critical to stop the spread.”
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said in an interview Tuesday on “Good Morning America” that he was concerned about rising positivity rates in several states, and that officials should heed federal guidelines when deciding whether to open up. “I think we can prevent the surges that we’ve seen in the Southern states, because we just can’t afford, yet again, another surge,” he said.
Currently, Vermont is the only state in the “green zone” category for cases, with less than 10 cases a week per 100,000 people. The remaining 28 states and the District of Columbia were placed in the “yellow zone.” The report considers some hard-hit local areas in those states to be in the “red zone” as well.
Democrats push to extend a $600 weekly jobless benefit that Republicans want to reduce.
Top Democrats indicated they would be unwilling to accept anything less than an extension of the current $600 weekly unemployment insurance benefits, Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, told reporters after a private meeting on Tuesday, a demand that is all but certain to be rejected by the majority of Senate Republicans.
Democrats also said they viewed another infusion of relief for state and local governments as a significant priority, Mr. Meadows said.
In the meeting on Capitol Hill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, “indicated they weren’t willing to negotiate down on the unemployment benefit,” Mr. Meadows said.
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