US coronavirus cases hit new one-day high as states backtrack on reopening

The number of confirmed new coronavirus cases per day in the US hit an all-time high of 40,000 according to figures released by Johns Hopkins University on Friday, eclipsing the mark first set during one of the deadliest stretches in late April. It is a resurgence that has led some governors to backtrack or at least pause the reopening of their states.

The news came as the governor of Texas ordered the closing of all bars again and scaled back restaurant dining, in the biggest retreat yet by any state after business reopening.

The move was quickly followed by Florida also announcing bars immediately have to stop serving alcohol.

Halsey Beshears, the head of Florida’s department of business and professional regulation, said the policy would be in effect “immediately.”