RTFri, 20 Mar 2020 16:14 UTC
© Reuters / Lucas Jackson
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has banned gatherings of any size and
ordered workers in "non-essential" businesses to stay home or face a fine and mandatory closure, as the state ramped up efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Only employees of "essential businesses" - grocery stores, pharmacies, utilities, public transit, and other critical services - are permitted to commute and work outside the home under strict new rules, Cuomo announced, in an executive order on Friday.
Violators will be hit with a fine and face mandatory closure of their business, the governor told reporters.
These provisions will be enforced.
New York state has 7,102 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 4,408 in New York City, as of Friday. Almost 40 people have died.
All non-essential gatherings have also been banned, and
social distancing of six feet will be mandated, he continued, though it's unclear how the latter is to be enforced.
Outdoor recreation is permitted only if it involves no contact.Cuomo urged healthy New Yorkers to limit their use of public transit, and told people over 70 and "vulnerable populations" to avoid it entirely. The elderly and infirm were ordered to stay indoors, only going outside for "solitary exercise" — no visiting other households allowed. The young and healthy were forbidden from interacting with "vulnerable populations."
The governor referred to the state of suspended animation as "New York state on pause," adding "We need everyone to be safe, otherwise no one can be safe."
New York is expected to run out of medical supplies in three weeks at most, Cuomo said, putting out an official call for ventilators to be sold or loaned to the state and drafting medical students and retired professionals to join the fight against the epidemic.
"The ventilators are to this war what missiles were to World War II."The US has 14,250 diagnosed cases of coronavirus as of Friday, and the disease has killed 205 people.
Comment: California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a similar
order:
"Everyone is required to stay home except to get food, care for a relative or friend, get necessary health care, or go to an essential job," read a statement on California's coronavirus response website, issued following Newsom's order. "If you go out, keep at least six feet of distance."
Businesses to remain open during the lockdown include banks, pharmacies, gas stations, as well as grocery stores and restaurants - though the latter will be confined to carry-out and delivery only.
Newsom expressed concern during a press conference on Thursday night that tens of thousands of patients could soon swarm California's hospitals as the disease rapidly spreads across the state, putting healthcare facilities far beyond capacity. He earlier projected that some 56 percent of the state's residents - or over 25 million people - could contract the illness within eight weeks.
Where is he getting his numbers? Even the
Diamond Princess cruise ship only saw upwards of 20% get the virus, and that was in an enclosed space.
The U.S. has
suspended visa services worldwide. Germany says
lockdown will happen if people continue socializing:
Germans are already under instruction to stay indoors and avoid the usual mixing and mingling with others, as the novel coronavirus spreads rapidly in the country. Pubs, clubs and non-essential shops have already been closed and large gatherings have been banned by some German states — but there is no official national lockdown of the kind that has been imposed in France, Spain and Italy, and many people are still meeting outdoors in large groups.
Braun said normal socializing "must be stopped now" and, if that doesn't happen, it's possible that "more far-reaching measures" will be implemented — yet so far it seems that responsibility to restrict movement lies with the individual.
Bavaria, in Germany,
has gone into lockdown, however, "shutting down public life almost completely". Paris police are
restricting movement and gatherings. Switzerland banned gatherings of more than 5 people (nearly 1000 tested positive there in the last day). Lombardy region in Italy enlisted the
military to help enforce their own lockdown. UK police announced their first
arrest for breach of quarantine.
European stocks
surged after central bank measures were adopted. Germany
seized medical supplies headed for Switzerland. Senior Finnish health official Mika Salminen
criticized the WHO advisory to test as many people as possible, saying,
"We don't understand the WHO's instructions for testing. We can't fully remove the disease from the world anymore. If someone claims that, they don't understand pandemics." Well, it seems to have worked for South Korea...
Spain's official death toll
surpassed 1000 (up 235 in the last day). And while China reported no new domestic cases, they are
reporting 39 new cases from people coming from abroad. Britain's chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, is
self-isolating after his EU counterpart tested positive. A staff member at the
IAEA also tested positive.
Illinois has become the latest state to go on "
lockdown," with a similar "shelter-in-place" order that was issued in California and New York. Keep in mind it was only 3 days ago that the governor told everyone that it was completely safe to go out and vote in the primary.
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MY ASS AND BUTTERMILK!