State Leaders Facing 2nd Wave Resist Steps to Curb Virus

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials in many U.S. states being hit hard by the coronavirus are resisting taking stronger action to stop the spread, even as a fall resurgence strains hospitals.

Pleas from health experts are running up against political calculation and public fatigue, with spiraling new infections eclipsing previous caseload highs that set off national alarms in the spring and summer.

During those earlier outbreaks in the Northeast and then in the Sun Belt, many governors closed schools and businesses and limited public gatherings.

But the new surge has brought a decidedly more limited response in many states. Total confirmed cases in the U.S. topped 9 million Friday.