21 U.S. states in "red zone" with surging COVID-19 cases: federal report

Video:U.S. COVID-19 deaths have surpassed the 150,000 mark to reach 150,034 as of 3:35 p.m. local time on July 29, 2020 (1935 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.Meanwhile, the total COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 4,396,030, according to the CSSE. (Xinhua)

Currently, Vermont is the only state in the "green zone" category, with less than 10 cases per 100,000 people.

NEW YORK, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A new federal report published by The New York Times has found that 21 U.S. states now have coronavirus outbreaks serious enough to place them in the government's so-called "red zone."

Those states have been designated as in the "red zone," because they had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in the week ending July 24. The list of states includes Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.

Photo taken on Oct. 20, 2019 shows the autumn scenery in Woodstock, Vermont, the United States. (Photo by Yang Quanguo/Xinhua)

Currently, Vermont is the only state in the "green zone" category, with less than 10 cases per 100,000 people. The remaining 28 states and the District of Columbia were placed in the "yellow zone." The report considers some hard-hit local areas in those states to be in the "red zone" as well.

The federal government prepares regular reports on the response to the coronavirus. The report, dated July 26, which contained profiles of each state, were distributed to state officials by the White House's coronavirus task force and obtained by The New York Times. The report has recommended that more restrictions be put in place in "red zone" states.

A woman tours the National Mall near the Capitol in Washington, D.C., the United States, July 26, 2020.(Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Mask mandates were consistently recommended for states and cities where the virus is spreading. Noting that Arizona, included in the "red zone," had seen cases growth slowing in recent days, the report credited the state for its "aggressive mitigation efforts of mask wearing, social distancing and closing bars."

As of Wednesday afternoon, there have been more than 4,390,000 COVID-19 cases, with over 150,000 deaths in the United States, according to a tally by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. ■