Another round of coronavirus lockdowns? It could happen in these cities, officials say

A second round of coronavirus lockdowns could be on the horizon for at least three some U.S. cities, officials say.

Officials in Houston, Texas, say the city could see a second wave of stay-home measures despite the city reopening to 75% on Friday, CBS News reported.

“I’m growing increasingly concerned that we may be approaching the precipice — the precipice of a disaster,” Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo told the outlet.

Texas recorded its highest number of hospitalizations due to the coronavirus — 2,287 people — on Sunday, Texas Department of State Health Services reported.

Harris County — home to Houston — has the most confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state with 16,568 confirmed cases as of Sunday, according to the agency. It has the second-highest number of deaths in the state at 275 behind Dallas County, TXDSHS reported.

“We’ve had the highest hospitalization number this Monday (June 8); it’s only grown from there,” Hidalgo told CBS. “The numbers we’re seeing are very significant.”

In addition to another round of lockdowns, officials have also said that the city may need to open a hospital for coronavirus patients at NRG Stadium, a football complex with a retractable roof, according to the outlet.

Eighteen states are seeing increases in coronavirus cases as of Saturday, CNN reported, with several reporting record highs.

Houston isn’t the only city that could see another round of stay-home orders.

On Sunday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned that Manhattan and the Hamptons could shut down, again, if residents don’t continue social distancing, Deadline reported.

“We’re not going to go back to that dark place because local governments didn’t do their job,” Cuomo said, according to Deadline, adding that the state has received 25,000 health and safety complaints since the onset of the pandemic, most pertaining to bars and restaurants.

“I’m not going to allow situations to exist, that we know have a high likelihood of causing an increase in the virus,” Cuomo said, Deadline reported. “Local governments, do your job.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office responded to Cuomo’s comments, telling the New York Post that “imprisoning people” isn’t the best course of action, the outlet reported.

“We had social distancing ambassadors out all weekend distributing masks and encouraging people to disperse after making their purchases,” a spokesperson for city hall said, the Post reported. “These businesses are allowed to be open per the Governor’s guidelines and we don’t believe imprisoning people or taking away their livelihood is the answer.”

In May, President Donald Trump said the country would not close down again when asked about a second wave of coronavirus cases during a tour of a Michigan Ford factory, CNBC reported.

“We are going to put out the fires. We’re not going to close the country,” Trump said, according to the outlet. “We can put out the fires. Whether it is an ember or a flame, we are going to put it out. But we’re not closing our country.”

In Beijing, China, 79 new symptomatic cases have been reported since Thursday prompting officials to issue another wave of lockdowns, NPR reported.

Officials say the new cases are linked to the Xinfadi wholesale food market south of the city, according to the outlet. Nearly 6,000 people are believed to have visited the market on Saturday, alone, NPR reported.

Restaurants are encouraged not to accept large groups of diners and sporting events and tourism sites have been closed, according to the outlet. Residents at 11 living complexes near the market are also on lockdown, NPR reported.

This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Another round of coronavirus lockdowns? It could happen in these cities, officials say."