Unpublished White House document says 18 states are in the coronavirus 'red zone' and should limit gatherings, close gyms, and mask up

A White House document says 18 states are in the coronavirus 'red zone' and should limit gatherings, close gyms, and mask up The document identifies states with more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents last week and recommends stark changes to those states' policies. YahooNews

• Eighteen US states are in "the red zone" for coronavirus cases, according to a White House document obtained by the Center for Public Integrity on Thursday.

• That means these states reported more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past week.

• The document, which had not been made public, recommended that red-zone states mandate public use of masks, close bars and gyms, and limit social gatherings to 10 people or fewer.

• Here are all the states that fall into the red zone.

Some states, like California, have partially locked back down in an effort to curb new infections — Gov. Gavin Newsom shut down all indoor activities and bars in the state on Monday. But according to a White House document obtained by the Center for Public Integrity on Thursday, what California is doing isn't enough.

Those policy recommendations include mandating face-covering use at all times outside the home, limiting social gatherings to 10 people or fewer, and closing bars, nightclubs, and gyms.

The document was prepared for the White House coronavirus task force on Wednesday but hadn't been made public."

The fact that it's not public makes no sense to me," Ashish Jha, the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, told the Center for Public Integrity on Thursday. "Why are we hiding this information from the American people? This should be published and updated every day."