Nations scale back re-opening plans as Covid-19 numbers back on upswing

The latest research models show the number of US deaths projected to rise to over 150,000 by next month. 'We've got to almost reset this and say, 'Okay, let's stop this nonsense,'' Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, told The Atlantic. In the US state of Oklahoma, the Republican governor, Kevin Stitt, who has often declined to wear a mask, said he had tested positive for Covid-19. The use of masks to slow the spread of the virus has become a political flashpoint in the US, where Trump had resisted wearing one until recently and at times mocked the trend. Stitt's state recorded a single-day record of 1,075 new cases, while its neighbor to the south, Texas, reported 10,791 new cases and 110 new fatalities -- both 'new highs.' Cases and death tolls continue to mount across the United States, particularly in the south and west, with Florida and California also hard hit.