[TLO]

Originally Posted by Donger

"Because the spread is so rampant right now, there's never a reason for you to have to leave your home," Abbott told CNN affiliate KBTX. "Unless you do need to go out, the safest place for you is at your home."

New cases and hospitalizations are rising at their fastest rate yet, with Texas reporting 5,551 cases on Wednesday, breaking the previous record of 5,489 set the day before, health authorities said.

Originally Posted by Donger

In the nation's most populous state, California obliterated its previous single-day high with 7,149 cases reported on Tuesday, according to state Department of Public Health. The previous record, set the day before, was just more than 5,000. Hospitalization and ICU rates due to the virus are also at an all-time high in the state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom pleaded with Californians to think of others by wearing masks, keeping a safe distance and increasing handwashing. Loosely quoting Scripture, Newsom implored residents to "love thy neighbors, like yourself, please."

Acknowledging that younger people tend to feel safer returning to normal, Newsom said, "be careful about Mom and Dad, and careful about your mother-in-law, your father-in-law, your grandparents."

In Florida, the state reported 5,511 new cases on Tuesday, the highest number in a single day, according to the Florida Department of Health.

This is disheartening.