California on Friday surpassed New Jersey to be the country with the second highest number of corona virus cases in the US after a surge in positive tests because it made it easier to get out of the lock.
California boasts a much lower per capita infection rate when comparing its 40 million population with nearly 9 million living in New Jersey.
But the country has set a record this week for new infections one day.
California documented 3,455 new cases of the corona virus Tuesday, at the time the third highest daily count ever.
But then the country broke a one-day record on Wednesday, recording 4,083 cases, and again on Thursday, when 4,317 other news cases were reported.
The surge came more than a month after the country began to relax restrictions on its dwellings and as it moved towards a wider reopening – the third phase of the Gavin Newsom Government’s four-phase plan.
The governor continues to push forward with the reopening of the country, arguing that he expects positive cases to increase as testing capacity increases.
But Newsom on Thursday announced mandatory facemask executive orders for most indoor and outdoor settings where social distance was not possible.
A family wearing a mask walks at the West LA Farmers Market in Santa Monica, California.AFP through Getty Images
“Science shows that facial masks and masks function,” Newsom said in a statement about the new policy. “They are very important to keep those around you safe, keep businesses open and restart our economy.”
New York remains the first of all states with a number of reported coronavirus cases, with more than 386,550 cases recorded as early as Saturday morning, according to Johns Hopkins.
