Like an infectious boomerang, the Covid-19 coronavirus may be making a comeback, even in places that were hard-hit the first time around.
But instead of whirling through the air, the pandemic appears to be rolling down the highway, reports the Daily Beast.
Doctors involved in a coronavirus study by PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia warn that “virus hot spots are beginning to converge and jump from county to county as people increase their travel for work and summer vacation,” the news website says.
The same physicians have been advising President Trump’s coronavirus task force.
Their report says the virus is “moving along major highways and interstates — such I-10 in California, I-85 in the south and I-95 on the East Coast — as states continue to reopen their economies.” the Beast says.
This, it adds, is “the latest warning sign to emerge as the majority of states have now moved into the second phase of their reopening plans, with restaurants, religious communities and some places of work open for business.”
PolicyLab’s director, Dr. David Rubin, says that based on the data, he fears that “as individuals begin to relax their own social distancing measures” they’re also traveling more — in their communities, states and regions — and spreading the disease.
“The new analysis comes as President Donald Trump and his re-election campaign continue to move forward with plans to hold large rallies across the country,” including in cities with increasing cases, like Tulsa and Phoenix, the Beast says.
“The president is insistent on campaigning despite members of his own coronavirus task force sounding the alarm over the growth in cases where increased testing is not a dominant reason for the spike.”
The rapidly growing rise in highway travel comes in dramatic contrast to the situation just three months ago.
On March 13, USA Today reported that Covid-19 was “having a rolling impact on traffic congestion across the U.S., with significant reductions in traffic levels seen across West Coast cities,” with East Coast seeing “tangible drops” as well.
The concern then was that more open streets and highways were leading to dangerously faster speeds by motorists, truckers and drag racers.
That situation now appears to have made a U-turn, perhaps with even worse consequences for millions of Americans.
