Officials across the country on Sunday restricted many aspects of daily life in U.S to combat the coronavirus outbreak, while health authorities recommended groups of at least 50 people refrain from coming together and a government expert said a 14-day national shutdown may be necessary.
Governors and mayors have ordered the closure of restaurants, bars and schools as the nation increasingly falls into chaos due to the crisis. Travelers returning from abroad had to train for several hours at the country’s main airports to be inspected, which caused them to be confined to the confined spaces that public health authorities have urged citizens to avoid..
In a sample of the looming economic gloom that looms, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate to almost zero. President Donald trump He tried to reassure the nervous nation by declaring that the government has “enormous control” of the situation and urged people to stop panicking purchases that have left empty shelves in every store in the country. Arms sales establishments have also seen a marked increase in sales as the panic intensifies.
As Americans resign themselves to changing their daily habits, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a drastic recommendation: Because large events can fuel the spread of the virus, he said concentrations of 50 or more people should be canceled or postponed across the country for the next eight weeks. He added that proper precautions should be put in place at any event, including making sure attendees wash their hands and stay some distance away.
But in a sign of how difficult it is to find the right balance, the CDC statement also said the recommendation does not apply to “operations of daily living in organizations such as schools, colleges, or businesses.”
Even before the warning, some parts of the country already looked like ghost towns, and others were following those same footsteps with closed theme parks, desolate Florida beaches, Starbucks reporting that they would only take take-away orders and driver service, in addition to ordered the closing of bars and restaurants in Ohio and Illinois.
“The moment of persuasion and appeals to the public is over,” said Governor J.B. Pritzker. “It is not a joke. No one is immune to this.”
The California governor called for, but did not order, the closure of the nation’s bars and restaurants. In New York City, restaurants will only serve home or take away orders. Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered the closing of nightclubs, movie theaters and other places.
“These places are part of the soul of our city. They are part of what it means to be a New Yorker,” he said in a statement released Sunday night. “But our city faces an unprecedented threat and we must respond with a wartime mentality.”
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