The cause and effect is obvious, but we really need to stop broadcasting this political message. SARS-CoV-2 doesn't care about politics, and infects any community rapidly if not taken seriously (are Western European nations purple too? <s>). Plenty of cities in the Midwest are in a world of hurt right now, so what's the point of cheering the disaster unfolding in the Great Plains? On a per capita basis, it's not so horrible yet, but L.A. County has the most cases of any U.S. county and is seeing a rapid, troubling surge. Meanwhile, sheriffs in neighboring SoCal counties have publicly stated a refusal to enforce the state's mandated curfew, while small businesses sue to prevent enforcement of new dining restrictions.
The trendlines across the country are pretty dire, despite epidemiologists almost shouting at the top of their lungs that people have to change soon. It recalls the old cliche, you can always trust Americans to do the right thing after they've tried everything else.
I'm not condoning or minimizing what's happening in rural states; we saw this coming from a mile away and experts have been warning about a seasonal surge since March. I am saying that the bullshit is everywhere, and the virus succeeds because of it.