'Too many are selfish': US nears 5 million virus cases - The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Fourth of July gatherings, graduation parties, no-mask weddings, crowded bars — there are reasons the U.S.

Many Americans have resisted wearing masks and social distancing, calling such precautions an overreaction or an infringement on their liberty.

One recent house party on Cape Cod attended by as many as 60 people led to more than a dozen new cases and prompted some restaurants to close or limit service at the height of tourist season.

In South Dakota, a spike erupted at a Christian youth summer camp in the Black Hills, with cases growing to 96 among 328 people who attended.

Tate Reeves grudgingly reversed course and announced a statewide order requiring the wearing of masks because of a resurgence of the virus.

“You just don’t care as much about social distancing after you’ve had a couple of drinks.”.

She said the factors behind the surge include gatherings of people not wearing masks or maintaining a safe distance.

Josie Machovec, a mother of three who is suing over a mask ordinance in Palm Beach County, Florida, said that she doesn’t believe the government has the right to require people to wear medical devices, and that she hasn’t seen clear evidence that masks stop transmission of the virus.

Zona Wick, a spokeswoman and contact tracer for the health department in Wisconsin’s Iron County, attributed the dramatic rise in cases to July Fourth gatherings, birthday and graduation parties, out-of-county visitors and people crowding into bars.

“The Fourth of July was tough on us,” Wick said.

People just got together like they have for years on the Fourth of July and spread it to one another.”

The wedding industry likewise is seeing no-mask receptions with busy dance floors and no social distancing

“They have emphatically shared that this pandemic is not going to get in the way of their wedding plans and that there will be no masks handed out and no signs promoting social distancing at their wedding,” she said