New York and California imposed tough new restrictions, limiting the activity of 60 million people in the two states to curb the spread of the coronavirus and ordering all non-essential workers to stay home.
In announcing Friday’s action, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pleaded for more medical personnel and supplies to treat coronavirus cases that could overwhelm the hospitals in his state of nearly 20 million.
“This is the most drastic action we can take,” Cuomo said in announcing he would issue an executive order to mandate that 100 per cent of the non-essential workforce stay home and all non-essential businesses close.
“Remain indoors, go outside for solitary exercise,” he said.
New York City’s Central Park was quiet but by no means empty on a cloudy spring day a few hours after Cuomo’s announcement.
Almost no vehicle traffic and few pedestrians are seen in this Times Square photo, Thursday, March 20, 2020 in New York. Source: AAP
Several bikers and joggers were on the pathways, most alone but a few in pairs. The baseball diamonds, which would be fought over by school teams in season any other year, were empty.
“It’s real and it’s scary, I hate it,” said physical therapist Kerry Cashin, 49, of the stay-at-home order. “I feel like I always knew it was going to go this way, but it made me scared.”
Gabriel Stellar, a 29-year-old insurance broker, said he had been the only one going into his office for the last several days and he lived close by. “Now I just won’t,” he said.
Stellar agreed with Cuomo’s order. “How much worse can it really get beyond ‘stay at home’?” he asked.
Life upended
The coronavirus pandemic that has swept the globe has also upended life in much of the United States in the past week, shuttering schools and businesses, prompting millions to work from home, forcing many out of jobs and curtailing travel.
In Berkeley, California, many more people were out walking their dogs, running and biking than on a usual weekday morning, with pedestrians avoiding passing one another on the narrow sidewalks by veering onto the nearly empty street.
The health orders imposed on Thursday by California authorities on the state’s 40 million people also allow for outside exercise as long as people stay six feet (two meters) apart.
Venture capitalist Meredith Finn, 37, was walking her dog Brady in the affluent West Los Angeles neighbourhood of Brentwood, where streets were emptier than usual.
“It’s definitely the right move,” she said of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s open-ended order.
“We need to take it really seriously and prevent spread of the disease. Obviously, it’s not the most fun to be home alone but I’m taking my dog out for short walks. I’m trying to stay in touch with friends and family with FaceTime and Zoom.”
More than 1,000 cases have been confirmed in California, where 19 people have died.
Washington state, where the first US coronavirus cluster emerged, has since March 16 closed bars, restaurants and recreation and entertainment facilities, and has banned all gatherings of more than 50 people.
Cases mount
More than 200 people have died in the United States and over 14,600 cases had been confirmed by Friday, the surge in cases reflecting an increase in testing. Health experts believe the actual number of COVID-19 cases to be far higher.
In Washington, DC, President Donald Trump and other officials told reporters the United States was working with Mexico to suspend non-essential travel at the border. The border with Canada already is closed to non-essential traffic.
“Essential commercial activities will not be impacted,” acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said.
The New York state order would be enforced with civil fines and mandatory closures for any businesses not in compliance, Cuomo said. He said it was not a “shelter in place” order and neither was California’s, a term he said should be used only for mass shootings.
Essential services included food suppliers to grocery stores and pharmacies, keeping the internet working, and water and electricity supplies, the governor said.
New York has 7,102 confirmed cases, 2,950 of which are new. The hospitalisation rate is 18%. Of the state’s cases, 4,408 are in New York City, the most populous US city with about 8.5 million people.
Cuomo pleaded for the manufacture of ventilators and protective masks for an expected surge in cases.
“The ventilators are to this war what missiles were to World War Two,” Cuomo said. He said the state would “pay a premium” to companies that could provide more personal protective equipment, gloves and masks. He asked companies that might be capable of making these products to “get creative.”
With businesses closing and daily life grinding to a near halt, and the US unemployment benefits program about to face its biggest test in more than a decade, the Trump administration announced more moves to give relief to workers and students.
Tax filing day was moved to July 15 from April 15, while interest and payments on federal student loans were suspended for at least the next 60 days.
