New York “like in wartime”

The metropolis of millions is developing into the center of the corona pandemic. US President Trump is not quarantining the city.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio sounded the alarm on Sunday. He could only guarantee the smooth operation of the hospitals for one week due to the scarcity of medical equipment, he told the TV broadcaster CNN. It is not just about masks, protective clothing and urgently needed ventilators, but also about medical staff. The doctors and nurses could not continue working at the current pace and would need support. “Here in New York it literally feels like wartime,” said de Blasio.

The metropolis of New York on the east coast has developed into the center of the corona pandemic in the USA with 55,000 people who tested positive. With a population of more than eight million, it is the largest US city and one of the cultural and financial centers in the world. Restaurants, bars, schools, museums and Broadway shows are closed. All citizens are called to stay at home, “non-vital” companies and institutions have to.

On Saturday evening, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the plan to quarantine New York City – if necessary enforceable with state violence. Instead, he announced a “strong” travel warning. Shortly thereafter, the CDC called on citizens of three states to “refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days immediately.”

Whether and how this is implemented is now up to the governors of the states concerned. They are waging an increasingly desperate battle against the coronavirus, which is spreading rapidly. In addition to New York, the crisis is spreading rapidly in other metropolitan areas such as Chicago, Los Angeles and New Orleans. There are around 123,000 cases in total in the United States. The death of a baby in Illinois who was infected with the coronavirus caused a stir. A “comprehensive investigation” should clarify the exact cause of death of the child, who is less than a year old, according to the state health department.

After spending a month idle circulating test kits and containing the spread of the virus, the president abruptly changed course and issued guidelines for “social distancing” that will now be in place for 15 days across America. Then Trump said he wanted to see “churches full” at Easter and return to normal. His own experts strongly advise against it.

Trump is just as erratic when it comes to purchasing urgently needed ventilators. For weeks he hesitated to apply emergency laws, now he ordered General Motors to help manufacture the life-saving machines. The new guidelines from the health authorities are eagerly awaited next week. Then the first period of the announced slowdown of the virus ends. US citizens do not mind Trump’s zigzag course. Three recent polls show that his likely election challenger Joe Biden is just ahead of the incumbent. According to the Washington Post, 55 percent of Americans are satisfied with the crisis management. However, the crisis bonus is significantly smaller than that of its predecessor. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, 90 percent of Americans supported George W. Bush. His father got 89 percent in the first Gulf War. And Jimmy Carter’s polls doubled to 61 percent in the Iran hostage crisis.

The phenomenon called “rally around the flag” says little about the elections. Carter and Bush Sr. lost, Bush jun. crashed to 25 percent. NBC analyst David Mark thinks it likely that Trump will face a similar fate. “The fight against the coronavirus is expected to take a long time and will be accompanied by death and economic destruction.”

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