Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

More and more U.S. cities are requiring people to wear face coverings as cases of coronavirus continue to spike in several states.

The latest to join the list where residents and visitors must wear masks or coverings include major Florida tourist destinations like Orlando, Tampa and the Florida Keys.

Fourteen states and the District of Columbia already had face mask rules in place as of Friday, CNN reported.

Several local law enforcement agencies say they won't enforce the rules over fears of confrontation.

“Due to the minor nature of the offense, the potential for negative outcomes during enforcement encounters, and anticipating the various ways in which the order may be violated, it would be inappropriate for deputies to criminally enforce the Governor’s mandate,” Sacramento County, California, Sheriff Scott Jones said, according to the Sacramento Bee.

In Los Angeles, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes told the county Board of Supervisors that he would trust people to abide by the law.

“We are not the mask police — nor do I intend to be the mask police," Barnes said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I think what we have seen repeatedly throughout the community is Orange County residents acting responsibly.”

Masks have become a political statement, as President Donald Trump refuses to wear one in public. And, the rules are confusing to some who remember officials telling the general public not to worry about wearing a mask during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, has said that advice was based on fears that there wouldn't be enough masks for medical providers, and that masks and face coverings are one way to help prevent spread of the virus.

More than 8.7 million people worldwide are known to have been infected with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. More than 2.2 million, or about one-fourth of all cases, are in the United States. At least 461,786 people have died from the novel coronavirus worldwide, including more than 119,400 in the U.S.

Latest Developments

United States:

-Six Trump campaign staff members organizing a rally Saturday in Tulsa that has prompted concerns about public health tested positive for coronavirus. “Per safety protocols, campaign staff are tested for COVID-19 before events. Six members of the advance team tested positive out of hundreds of tests performed, and quarantine procedures were immediately implemented," Tim Murtaugh, campaign communications director, said in a statement to CNN.

-The U.S. Navy has upheld the firing of Capt. Brett Crozier, commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, over his handling of a coronavirus outbreak on the ship, the Washington Post reported.

-The number of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. topped 30,000 on Friday, the highest daily increase since May 1, according to the Post. Florida, South Carolina and California were among the states that continue to report record daily increases.

-Major League Baseball is temporarily closing all spring training sites after at least 12 players tested positive for COVID-19. The Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays had shut down their Tampa-area facilities Friday, as did the San Francisco Giants training in Arizona. An MLB official told USA Today the rest of the league would follow suit. ESPN reported that all MLB teams were returning to their home cities.

-At least two players and one coach for the Tampa Bay Bucaneers have tested positive for COVID-19, ESPN reported. The NFL Players Association reportedly advised players on Saturday to stop getting together for private workouts due to potential risk for coronavirus.

-A Navajo Nation police officer has died of COVID-19, the first tribal police force member to succumb to the virus, according to the Associated Press. The Navajo Nation has struggled to contain the virus within its borders, which span parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, and have seen more than 6,894 cases of COVID-19 and 330 deaths.

-Black business owners have been hit hardest by the economic fallout of the coronavirus in the U.S., according to a report by CNBC. The number of Black business owners actively working dropped by 41% as the pandemic took hold in the U.S., compared to 22% for business owners overall.

Worldwide:

-Brazil has become the second country in the world to record more than 1 million cases of COVID-19. Only the U.S. has more, with double that number.

-Summer solstice revelers are being asked to stay away from England’s Stonehenge, where as many as 10,000 gather every year to watch the sunrise on the longest day of the year. Instead, Stonehenge is offering a livestream of the view.

-A coronavirus outbreak has hit the U.S. embassy in Kabul. The State Department hasn't said how many people are affected, but an official told the AP that as many as 20 people who work at the embassy are infected, most of them Nepalese Gurkhas who provide security.

For the latest coronavirus information in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.