Situation Report

New Jersey tightens restrictions as COVID-19 surges across the United States New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Monday announced stricter capacity restrictions for both indoor and outdoor gatherings as more U.S. states took steps to combat the latest coronavirus surge. Doina Chiacu, Maria Caspani U.S.

(Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Monday announced stricter capacity restrictions for both indoor and outdoor gatherings as more U.S. states took steps to combat the latest coronavirus surge.

   ...  Thousands of medical practices have closed during the pandemic, according to a July survey of 3,500 doctors by the Physicians Foundation, a nonprofit group. About 8 percent of the doctors reported closing their offices in recent months, which the foundation estimated could equal some 16,000 practices. Another 4 percent said they planned to shutter within the next year.

Other doctors and nurses are retiring early or leaving their jobs. Some worry about their own health because of age or a medical condition that puts them at high risk. Others stopped practicing during the worst of the outbreaks and don’t have the energy to start again. Some simply need a break from the toll that the pandemic has taken among their ranks and their patients.

The COVID-19 crisis in the U.S. is getting worse by nearly every metric. On Friday alone, there were more than 184,000 new confirmed cases and 1,400 deaths, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported. Hospitals are reaching capacity. To date in the U.S., there have been more than 10 million confirmed cases of the virus and more than 240,000 have died — more than any other nation.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams says "pandemic fatigue" is largely to blame. People are tired and aren't taking mitigation measures as seriously as before, he says.