States in “red zone” for coronavirus cases grow to 26, White House says

by Nevada State News October 14, 2020

A Toda Madre Tattoos in Reno, Nev., pasted their new customer guidelines on their front door. No walk-ins are allowed anymore, and customers must come alone and with a mask to enter. Image: Bianca Wright

by Liz Essley Whyte, Center for Public Integrity
October 13, 2020

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More than half of states are in the “red zone” for new COVID-19 cases, meaning they had more than 100 new cases for every 100,000 residents, the White House Coronavirus Task Force said this week in its latest report to governors.

The reports, which are not published by the White House, also said that not a single state remains in the green zone for coronavirus cases. Last week Vermont was the only state in that zone.

In last week’s reports, 24 states were in the red zone for new cases. This week, Texas moved from the red to orange zone, but New Mexico, North Carolina and Rhode Island joined the red, bringing the total to 26.

For the second week in a row, the Dakotas, Montana, Wisconsin and Utah led the nation in new coronavirus cases. North and South Dakota also ranked No. 1 and 3 respectively, for virus deaths per 100,000 population.

The Center for Public Integrity has been collecting the reports, which it first revealed in July. Then, 18 states were in the red zone for new cases. The White House at the time advised residents in red-zone counties to “wear a mask at all times outside the home,” limit gatherings to 10 people and not go to gyms or bars or eat inside at restaurants.

The advice in recent reports from the Task Force is less stringent and less specific. “The majority of cases are from interaction at home with friends and family,” the White House told red-zone Kansas this week. “Kansans should know that such gatherings must be limited in size and include both masks and social distancing.”

The states in the red zone for cases in this week’s report (meaning they had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents in the week prior):

North Dakota
South Dakota
Montana
Wisconsin
Utah
Idaho
Iowa
Wyoming
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Arkansas
Kentucky
Kansas
Nebraska
Missouri
Alaska
Minnesota
Mississippi
Alabama
Indiana
South Carolina
Illinois
North Carolina
Rhode Island
Nevada
New Mexico

The states in the red zone for test positivity in this week’s report (meaning more than 10 percent of tests in the state were positive in the week prior):