Florida and Texas report records for daily highs in new cases.

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Two of the United States’ most populous states, Texas and Florida, reported this week their highest daily totals of new coronavirus infections, a concerning sign as all 50 states move to ease social distancing restrictions and allow more businesses to reopen.

The nation’s most populous state, California, hit a new daily high last week, when it recorded 3,593 new cases, and it nearly matched that record this week.

The rise in cases helps explain why the nation continues to record more than 20,000 new cases a day even though some of the original hot spots, including New York, have reported sharp declines.

While some officials in states seeing increases attribute the rise to increased testing, and the number of cases per capita in Texas and Florida remains low, some health experts see worrying signs that the virus is continuing to make inroads.

“Whenever you loosen mitigation, you can expect you’ll see new infections, I think it would be unrealistic to think that you won’t,” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said in an interview on ABC News’s “Powerhouse Politics” podcast. “The critical issue is how do you prevent those new infections that you see from all of a sudden emerging into something that is a spike, and that’s the thing that we hope we will be able to contain.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released forecasts on Friday suggesting that the United States was likely to reach 124,000 to 140,000 Covid-19 deaths by July 4.

The agency said that its forecasts suggested that more virus-related deaths were likely over the next four weeks in Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, North Carolina, Utah and Vermont than those states reported over the past four weeks.

The agency also released new guidance about the risks of holding events, even those attended by only a small number of people.

Dr. Fauci, who has warned about the risks associated with the recent protests in recent days, was also asked during his podcast interview what he thought about Mr. Trump’s plan to begin holding large rallies again.

“I stick by what I say,” he said. “The best way that you can avoid either acquiring or transmitting infection is to avoid crowded places, to wear a mask whenever you’re outside, and if you can do both — avoid the congregation of people and do the mask, that’s great.”

Here is a look at other key developments around the country:

• Asbury Park, N.J., halted a move to allow some indoor restaurant dining that was scheduled to start on Monday after the state of New Jersey took the unusual step on Friday of suing to block the proposals.

• Orange County, Calif., is dropping mandatory mask-wearing rules, a decision that comes days after the county’s top health official resigned because of threats and protests outside her home. The mayor of nearby Long Beach called the shift “totally irresponsible.”
• In Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown has paused reopening efforts, citing a rise in cases in the state. She described the move as a “yellow light.”
• In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order allowing visits to nursing homes and long-term care facilities to resume. The state reported 222 new virus cases on Friday, a one-day high.
• Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois will issue an executive order canceling the Illinois State Fair and the Du Quoin State Fair over virus concerns. The state still plans to hold a junior livestock show in September at which 8- to 21-year-olds can showcase their animals.

The New York Times