Hostess Carla Alexander waits behind a sign that asks customers to wear masks at the Saint Arnold Brewing Company on June 26, 2020, in Houston.
America's top infectious diseases expert has warned the United States is facing a "serious problem" from a resurgent coronavirus as the illness puts the brakes on reopening two of the country's largest states.
Reimposed curbs
Texas and Florida closed bars and reimposed other curbs on Friday as the number of infections in the US hit a single-day record with increases in 16 states, mostly in the south and west.
"We are facing a serious problem in certain areas," leading US immunologist Anthony Fauci said at the first briefing in two months by the White House's Coronavirus Task Force.
"The only way we're going to end it is by ending it together," he said of the outbreak.
Texas question
A small city on the outskirts of Houston, Texas has instituted a curfew starting from Saturday night due to surging cases of the novel coronavirus, the latest move by officials in some southern and western states to backtrack on their reopening plans.
Underscoring the worsening spread of the virus, Florida on Saturday morning reported 9,585 new infections in the last 24 hours, marking a record high for a second day, and 24 additional deaths from Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
The mayor of Galena Park, a community of 10,000 people east of Houston, said she was heeding a warning from Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who on Friday raised the public threat level to its most severe, a sign people should shelter at home.
"It is crucial to continue to practice good hygiene, stay home as much as possible, avoid unnecessary trips, gatherings, and wear a face-covering at all times when you leave your home," Mayor Esmeralda Moya said in a statement late on Friday.
Galena Park's curfew will run from 22:00 (0300 GMT) to 05:00 (1000 GMT) daily.
Read more: US health officials say politicians let disaster unfold as virus cases rise
Economic concerns
"It is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars," Governor Greg Abbott said.
The new record for positive Covid-19 tests came as Texas and other states at the centre of a new surge in infections took steps back from efforts to ease restrictions on businesses, threatening a hoped-for economic recovery and jobs.
In a reversal of his early moves to relax restrictions, Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday ordered bars across the state to close and required restaurants to limit indoor seating capacity to 50 percent. Florida, another state that reopened its economy relatively quickly told bar owners in the state to immediately stop serving alcohol on their premises.
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