Videos show July 4th parties across the U.S. without masks, social distancing as cases surge in some parts of the country
This Fourth of July weekend, Americans gathered nationwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Diamond Lake, Michigan, hundreds of partiers jammed together -- no masks in sight and social distancing protocols apparently ignored.
Thousands also lined the beaches of Delaware and New Jersey.
Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota and the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri were packed with people.
But elsewhere over the holiday weekend, some safety measures were observed. One beach in New Hampshire was busy but people were spread out.
4th of July fuels worries about skyrocketing coronavirus cases in US
The number of novel coronavirus cases in the U.S. continues to rise -- with 37 states reporting increases.
This weekend, Florida set another record with more than 21,000 new cases reported. Those numbers are similar to New York at its worst back in April.
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"People are dying, people are getting sick, and a disease people are still trying to figure out how to even find a cure for," Florida state representative Shevrin Jones said.
Other states also reached grim milestones. Texas hit a record number of hospitalizations over the weekend.
"We don't have room to experiment, nor should we wait for all the hospital beds to fill and all these people to die before we take drastic action," said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.
In Houston, Texas Medical Center reports the ICU capacity is at 98 percent.
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In California, the LA County health director says there might not be enough beds for a COVID-19 surge, requesting hospitals implement decompression plans to handle the stress on capacity.
Hospitalizations in Arizona have hit a record high.
"We opened way too early in Arizona," said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. "We were one of the last states to go to a stay-at-home and one of the first to re-emerge."
A Penn State student died of respiratory failure over the weekend. Juan Garcia, 21, tested positive just 10 days ago. Now the school is trying to trace his contacts.
And on Sunday, Broadway actor Nick Cordero, who has been fighting against coronavirus since March, passed away at the age of 41.
"I am in disbelief and hurting everywhere," his wife Amanda Kloots said in a post on Instagram.
