LCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom had already announced similar decisions the day before and placed the entire state in containment.
The measures taken in California, New York State, Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut are more restrictive than those announced so far at the federal level.
The movement overtook President Donald Trump, who on Friday ruled out a shutdown of the entire country. “I don’t think we’ll ever deem this necessary,” he said.
“It was done in California, it was done in New York, these are two hot spots […] But if you go to the Midwest or wherever, they watch it all on TV and don’t have the same issues, ”he added.
The five states now affected by these restrictive measures weigh more than 85 million people, including 60 for California and New York.
This is a huge blow to the country’s economy, as California and New York alone account for almost a quarter of the gross domestic product of the United States (22.3% in 2018).
The first houses the heart of global finance and the second that of new technologies and the Internet.
“This is the most drastic step we can take,” said New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, adding that activities considered essential would not be affected.
He listed the grocery stores, pharmacies, cable operators, and everything related to community services, including water maintenance services or public transport, which will continue to operate.
Restaurants and food shops will continue to make deliveries.
“All in quarantine”
Any gathering of people unrelated to these essential activities is now banned, regardless of size, Cuomo said.
The governor nevertheless indicated that individuals had the possibility of leaving their homes, to do their shopping or even to take the air, while urging them to respect the principle of social distancing.
If he threatened with fines businesses considered non-essential that would remain open, he did not however speak of fines for recalcitrant individuals.
“We are all in quarantine,” hammered the first political leader of New York State, where the number of declared cases has accelerated sharply in recent hours.
“This will have negative consequences for the economy,” admitted Andrew Cuomo, who said he accepted “full responsibility” for the measures announced Friday. “I think these decisions will save lives. I don’t want to put a price on human life ”.
2,950 new cases in 24 hours
New York State recorded 2,950 new cases in 24 hours, bringing the total to 7,102. The death toll shows 35 people.
Andrew Cuomo argued that this leap was largely due to the establishment of large-scale testing, on a scale greater than any other region in the United States, he said.
Andrew Cuomo has renewed his appeal to all companies that have artificial respirators and masks and do not have them essential to offer them to the authorities, who will buy them back to prevent a shortage of health services.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite said on Friday that his services were studying the possibility of installing hospital beds in university accommodation and hotel rooms.
Several sites are being studied in the New York area, he explained, estimating possible to install 10,000 beds in “three or four weeks”.
Many other states have also asked the corps of engineers for similar help, he said, hinting that arbitration would be necessary.
According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 17,000 cases of coronavirus have been identified in the United States, which has more than 220 deaths.
More than 4000 deaths in Italy
Italy, placed in general confinement for a week, also shows a particularly grim record: 627 deaths in the last 24 hours, a record bringing the country’s toll beyond 4,000 deaths.
Rome plans to quickly adopt new, more restrictive measures, including on outdoor activities, to further dissuade the population from going out.
In Lombardy, the most affected region with more than 2,500 dead, the American evangelist humanitarian association Samaritan’s Purse has installed a temporary hospital with an intensive care unit in Cremona, to help local establishments overwhelmed by the influx of patients.
And the number of priests who have died from the coronavirus, after blessing patients in hospitals, is growing day by day.
Spain has passed the 1,000 death mark and is bracing for the worst with nearly 20,000 cases.
On a more optimistic note, the city of Wuhan, the cradle of the epidemic, has not reported any new cases of local origin since Thursday.
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