It seems like the United States will be dealing with COVID-19 for the indefinite future. The Texas Department of Health reported that just this Saturday, amid the relaxation of social distancing protocols, over 1,800 new coronavirus cases have been reported, the highest single-day increase of confirmed cases since the pandemic began.
Before this massive single-day increase, the average daily number of new infections was about 1,227, and the state had never seen an increase greater than 1,500 in one day. Texas began lifting social distancing protocols in early May and allowing restaurants, malls, movie theaters, and stores to open at 25% capacity. Gyms will be able to open, starting today at 25% capacity.
On the increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases, Governor of Texas Greg Abbott said in a statement that this increase in confirmed cases was expected with an increase in testing being done. "These teams conducted a site survey of high-risk areas to begin testing employees in meat packing facilities," Abbott continued, "Today, Texas is seeing the results of those tests and will continue to see these results in targeted areas over the next two weeks."
Even with these increases in cases, Gov. Abbott is expected to announce plans on Monday to move forward with reopening the state and allowing businesses to operate at an increased 50% capacity.