A newly released report, the coronavirus spread is increasing among GOP areas of the United States where citizens have shown strong support for President Donald Trump. According to the Associated Press, the initial spread of COVID-19 hit areas known for strong support of Democratic politics, but around 75 percent of new cases are from states that Trump won in the 2016 election.
The divide has been noted by a number of outlets and experts, many of whom have cited a slow response from Republican Governors in dealing with the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak. The AP also stated Trump supporters are not as likely to support preventive measures and are more likely to believe that the dangers of the virus have been exaggerated. They are also believed to be less likely to be concerned about their family and friends contracting COVID-19. The outlet also notes that many Republican Governors are having to reverse course on reopening measures due to an increase in cases in their respective states. Florida, Texas, and Arizona are just a few who have had to close down businesses such as bars and restaurants for a second time.
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.@rossramsey: Gov. Greg Abbott is trying to reinstate some of the coronavirus safety measures he put in place in late March and then mostly erased in May.
He’s meeting a lot of resistance — a fair amount of it from the people in his GOP base. https://t.co/43X9GjuZeY
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) July 1, 2020
The AP shared two graphs from the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 tracking project to support its data. The first is for “proportion of new coronavirus infections in states won by” both Trump and Hilary Clinton in 2016. Statistically, Democratic-leaning states have seen a decrease in coronavirus cases since early March. Republican-leaning states, on the other hand, have since an increase in cases. The second graph is for the “proportion of new COVID-19 deaths in states won by” both Trump and Hilary Clinton in 2016. Again, statistically, Democratic-leaning states have seen a slow decrease in the number of lives claimed by the virus. Republican states, however, have seen a slow increase in deaths.
Recently, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took some verbal jabs at his Republican peers for their responses to the deadly virus. “You played politics with this virus, and you lost,” he said while appearing on CNN. “You told the people of this state, you told the people of this country, the White House: ‘Don’t worry about it. Go about your business. This is all Democratic hyperbole.’” He then stated how it was “never politics,” but “always science.”
