A new federal report shows that three more U.S. states have been added to the "red zone," which means they are facing serious outbreaks of the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of states to 21, according to The New York Times.
The states are placed in the "red zone" because they have had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week. A similar report on July 14 placed 18 states in the most serious category: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
The new report, dated July 26, adds Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin. The report, sent to state officials by the White House Coronavirus Task Force, recommends that officials in "red zone" states place more restrictions to help prevent the spread of the virus, including closing gyms, lowering occupancy in businesses and implementing mask orders.
Only one state, Vermont, has had fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 people in the last week, placing it in the "green zone." The remaining 28 states were placed in the "yellow zone," reporting 10 to 100 cases per 100,000 people last week, the Times reports.
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