July 4th muted as COVID-19 cases soar

As many Americans flock to some of the open beaches this July Fourth weekend, others are coming across ‘closed signs’... or residents are opting to stay at home… as new coronavirus cases in the U.S. soar above 55,000.

With restrictions in place - New York and New Jersey beaches are attracting pockets of people:

"It feels good, you know. You feel alive again. People are trying to enjoy themselves and make the best of it."

"It's great to be able to go down to the beach, even with the restrictions it is still a lot of fun."

But beaches are closed across regions like Southern California, Southern Florida and Galveston, Texas due to a recent spike in cases.

Many of the traditional Independence Day celebrations have been canceled in order to avoid large gatherings - and are going virtual - as cases of the virus are rising in 37 states.

The mayor of Florida's Miami-Dade County on Friday announced an indefinite nightly curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Miami-Dade County requires residents to wear face coverings in public, although the rule has not been set statewide.

Arkansas on Friday joined a push towards mandating mask-wearing in public.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott - after resisting the move for months - on Thursday issued an order mandating that face masks must be worn in public in counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases.

Much of the spike is happening in Sunbelt states… which has health officials urging safety precautions like social distancing.

Despite this - a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota is set to attract thousands of people.

Among them - President Donald Trump… who will hold another celebration on July Fourth in Washington.