States in ‘red zone’ for coronavirus cases grow to 26, White House says

Introduction

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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):

1. North Dakota
2. South Dakota
3. Montana
4. Wisconsin
5. Utah
6. Idaho
7. Iowa
8. Wyoming
9. Oklahoma
10. Tennessee
11. Arkansas
12. Kentucky
13. Kansas
14. Nebraska
15. Missouri
16. Alaska
17. Minnesota
18. Mississippi
19. Alabama
20. Indiana
21. South Carolina
22. Illinois
23. North Carolina
24. Rhode Island
25. Nevada
26. 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):

1. Nebraska
2. Montana
3. Idaho
4. Utah
5. California
6. South Dakota
7. Wisconsin

The states in the red zone for deaths (meaning they had more than more than two new deaths per 100,000 residents in the week prior): 

1. North Dakota
2. Arkansas
3. South Dakota
4. Missouri
5. Tennessee
6. Florida
7. Mississippi
8. South Carolina
9. Georgia
10. Kansas
11. Alabama
12. Iowa