Trump administration says the epidemic is under control despite surges in the South and WestTrump administration says the epidemic is under control despite surges in the South and West

The Trump administration said Monday that it has the coronavirus epidemic under control in the United States, but a resurgent outbreak in Sun Belt states continued to worsen — and Jacksonville, Fla., where President Trump plans to pack a convention hall to accept the Republican nomination for reelection, made mask-wearing mandatory.

The World Health Organization warned that the outbreak is far from over and a grim milestone passed Sunday, with the confirmed worldwide death count from the novel coronavirus surpassing 500,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Over the weekend, the number of coronavirus cases reported worldwide soared past 10 million.

U.S. deaths are approaching 125,000, and the total number of coronavirus cases reported topped 2.5 million amid worsening outbreaks in Florida, Texas and Arizona. Continue reading.