Problem

   ...  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.

As the United States shatters record after record on coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, more warnings emerged from officials across the country urging residents to adjust their behavior and prepare for more possible changes on the horizon.

On the West Coast, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington urged their residents on Friday to avoid all nonessential interstate travel in the days ahead, joining their counterparts across the country in pleading with residents to take precautions.

In New York City, an early hot spot now facing a possible second wave, the mayor warned on Friday that public schools could close as early as Monday as the seven-day average positivity rate jumps. Private residential gatherings must be limited to 10 people beginning at 10 p.m.