Coronavirus cases tick up in California, Texas, Arizona as states reopen

California and other states are reported an increase in coronavirus infections, despite signs that infections in the U.S. have leveled off or decreased. 

On Friday, California reported its single highest daily increase of coronavirus cases, with 3,593 new cases recorded.

The state's outbreak numbers began to trend upward at the end of May as the state government relaxed some lockdown restrictions. 

Questions linger about the effects the last two weeks of protests will have on rising virus numbers. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also recently approved movie theaters to open later this week in a limited capacity, and television and movie productions to resume activities.

Arizona, which lifted its stay-at-home order on May 15, has also registered a significant jump in case numbers during recent weeks.

However, state leaders maintain that reopening the state was the right decision.

"The more we test, the more cases that we're going to have," Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said Monday. 

Though the Arizona case total has increased, the death toll has not. 

A spokesperson for Ducey also pointed out that the state has "known for some time, based on modeling projections" that they would experience a spike in June. "We expected this, and we are prepared for it," said the representative. 

In Texas, case numbers have increased as the state continues its reopening effort. GOP Gov. Greg Abbott notably led the efforts of most states in the reopening movement. He will now continue moving forward with a plan to open bars, restaurants, amusement parks and other entertainment businesses at 50% capacity. 

Last weekend, some of Las Vegas's biggest resorts reopened. Questions remain about what participation in generally contact-heavy Vegas activities will look like, as Nevada begins on a path to recover from the biggest hit to a workforce of any U.S. state.

The question remains – what factors exactly have contributed to the rising case numbers.

Though cases appear to be increasing in states that have lifted restrictions, they are also increasing in states (and countries) that continue to enforce more stringent restrictions.

According to a number of state governments, case numbers are increasing because the availability of testing is increasing. 

In Texas, for instance, health officials have seen an increase in the availability of intensive care beds and ventilators, which signals to the government that it is time to move forward with reopening the economy. 

As of Monday morning, the novel virus has infected more than 1.9 million Americans, claiming the lives of 110,514.