UNCONTAINED

California Hits Record-High 11,694 New Coronavirus Cases in One Day

“It’s because people are not wearing their masks,” said governor Gavin Newsom.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that a record-high daily increase in coronavirus cases had hit the Golden State—11,694, breezing past its previous record, which was below 10,000 cases. He placed blame on those who have ignored or defied precautions: “It’s because people are not wearing their masks. People are not, for many different reasons and many different circumstances, practicing the physical distancing that they should and they must, in order to mitigate the spread of this virus.” Other factors in the alarming figure were growing outbreaks in crowded state prisons and a backlog of COVID-19 tests in Los Angeles that medical professionals are still working through. Some cases recorded as new may be from older tests as a result. The United States passed three million confirmed cases of COVID-19 this week, the highest in the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. States in the South and West like Florida, Texas, and Arizona fueled the rise as they lifted lockdown orders.