Stay-at-home orders have been issued in California, America’s most populous state with 40 million people, and for all non-essential workers in New York state putting it “on pause” as the United States grappled with a surge in the number of coronavirus infections and fatalities amidst concerns about medical supplies.
The United States also closed its southern border with Mexico for all non-essential travels, effective Friday night, by mutual consent as with Canada in the north.
A White House official said new data from Italy, where more people have died of the coronavirus than in the epicenter in China, show mortality rate among men is higher than among women.
Also, two Senators of President Donald Trump’s ruling Republican party dumped stocks ahead of the spread of coronavirus and its impact on the markets, according to two newsreports. They allegedly dumped millions in stocks after a coronavirus-specific hearing for senators. Richard Burr, chairman of the senate intelligence committee, is reported to sold $$628,000 and $1.72 million worth of stock and and Kelly Loffler, the newest member of the senate, sold between $1.27 million and $3.1 million.
California governor Gavin Newsom announced the stay-at-home orders in an online news briefing Thursday. This is a moment we need to make tough decisions,” he said, adding, “This is not a permanent state, this is a moment in time. We will look back at these decisions as pivotal.”
The governor had earlier said he feared 58% of the the state’s 40 million people would be infected by the virus, but he has since tried to dial it down saying he hopes to prevent that new measure and others. California had reported 675 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 16 deaths as of Wednesday.
At least 12,392 people have been infected across the country and at least 195 have died, according to the New York Times tracker (10,442 infected and 150 dead, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Residents are exempted for essential outings, to get grocery or medical supplies, help and attention
New York governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all non-essential to stay home at the news briefing Friday morning. He said these are “the most drastic measure we can take” and the entire state was now “on pause”.
“This is not life as usual. Accept it. Realize it. And deal with it,” he added.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had earlier considered similar measure, and asked New Yorkers earlier in the week to be prepared for, “shelter-in-place”, saying the city was in danger of running out of medical supplies needed to deal with the outbreak. But New York governor Andrew Cuomo disagrees with his fellow Democrat and has publicly ruled it out.
Other cities hit hard by the outbreak have imposed night-time curfew. Such as Hoboken, a New Jersey city across the river from New York City. Residents are prohibited from venturing out between 10 pm and 5 am the next day, except to get food or medical supplies
In Washington state, which has been hit the hardest with 75 coronavirus deaths, all restaurants, bars, dance halls, clubs, theaters, health and fitness clubs, and other similar indoor social or recreational venues have been shut since Monday. Restaurants are only allowed take-out and delivery orders.
