America might want to be done with the coronavirus, but the coronavirus isn’t done with us.

Despite promises from Vice President Mike Pence that new cases had stabilized around 20,000 daily, new case numbers surged nationally last week, with 45,255 new cases on Friday, beating daily case counts from April, which hovered around 30,000. 

In response to the spike in cases, governors in Florida, Texas, and California have rolled back re-opening plans, closing bars and warning residents to stop partying and stay home. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, meanwhile, have both backed national mask mandates.

Were states too quick to re-open bars and other businesses? Is testing to blame? What about schools? And how is all of this affecting the 2020 presidential election? On today’s Reason Roundtable podcast, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and special guest Robby Soave discuss all of this and more.

Audio production by Ian Keyser and Regan Taylor.

Music: “Gain” by Text Me Records / Grandbankss.

Photo: KEVIN DIETSCH/UPI/Newscom.

Reopen the Schools!, by Robby Soave

Florida and Texas Close Their Bars In Response to Surge in New COVID-19 Cases, by Christian Britschgi

As New Lockdowns Loom, How Did We Get Here Again So Quickly?, by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

CDC Antibody Studies Confirm Huge Gap Between COVID-19 Infections and Known Cases, by Jacob Sullum

Trump Worries That More Coronavirus Testing Makes America Look Bad, by Peter Suderman

The Pandemic’s Economic Carnage Looks Worse Than Expected, by J.D. Tuccille