The South sees a reprieve as cases rise in the Midwest

The South sees a reprieve as cases rise in the Midwest

The daily average of new cases in the US has been on the decline for weeks. Some areas in the South that have been hit hard in recent weeks are finally seeing a bit of relief from new cases, although not all of those states are seeing the same decline in deaths. And as the “red zones” in the South starts to see improvement, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield noted that cases in “yellow zones” across the heart of the US aren't falling. "Middle America right now is getting stuck," he said. "That is why it's so important for Middle America to recognize the mitigation that we talked about ... it's for Middle America too, the Nebraskas, the Oklahomas." The country, especially the South, had seen cases surge from mid-June into late July, after states lifted restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. In response, more than half the country halted reopening plans and enacted new measures to slow a spread that experts said was out of control. But now that those states are seeing some relief, states need to make sure not to take their foot off the gas. Now isn't a time to ease measures, Admiral Brett Giroir, the White House coronavirus testing coordinator, cautioned during a telebriefing. "This could turn around very quickly if we're not careful," Giroir said. "We saw that early on after Memorial Day and the couple weeks afterward that sort of started the current outbreak."