The Trump Administration on Monday ramped up its coronavirus “social distancing” advisory to now discourage gatherings of 10 or more people.
Hours later, about 7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area were ordered to shelter in their homes. Residents were instructed to only leave for “essential” reasons, such as going grocery shopping, going to the bank, using gas stations and going to pharmacies, CNN reported. By far the strictest social distancing measure in the United States at this point, the order mirrors many of those already in place across Europe.
“We know these measures will significantly disrupt people’s day to day lives, but they are absolutely necessary,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement. “This is going to be a defining moment for our city, and we all have a responsibility to do our part to protect our neighbors and slow the spread of this virus by staying at home unless it is absolutely essential to go outside.”
For now, the federal government only recommends less drastic measures for the rest of the country.
“This afternoon we’re announcing new guidelines for every American to follow over the next 15 days,” President Donald Trump said during an afternoon New York Times reported.
According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute.”
But there was some encouraging news on the supply of COVID-19 infection testing kits.
Adm. Brett Giroir, who is leading the Department of Health and Human Services’ efforts in coordinating coronavirus testing, said that a rollout of test kits has entered “a new phase,” as commercial labs with highly efficient, automated systems ramp up their services. Giroir said 1 million tests are now available, 2 million more should be ready over the next week, and 5 million more a week later.
States mobilize
State officials across America had already begun to enact even tougher restrictions to try to slow the spread of coronavirus on Sunday, as the country’s case count reached passed 4,466, with 87 deaths, CNN reported.
Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, Washington state, California and New York City all enacted measures that essentially force bars, clubs and restaurants to close, the Associated Press.
A “broad range of measures” are under consideration, Pence told reporters. “But no decisions have been made yet,” U.S. Today reported. Times reported.
Aid to states
The announcement of a national emergency, nearly unprecedented in American history, immediately frees up more than $50 billion in federal funds to help states control the spread of COVID-19 before it overwhelms hospitals and health care systems.
“Through a very collective action and shared sacrifice and national determination, we will overcome the threat of the virus,” Trump said at a White House press briefing, flanked by top officials engaged in the coronavirus fight.
As well as delivering a huge funding boost, the national emergency declaration also greatly broadens the powers of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex Azar. The HHS can now bypass regulations that might otherwise hem in a hospital’s ability to reach peak performance as critically ill cases flood in.
The president also said his administration is doubling down on testing for COVID-19. Experts, including Fauci, have already called the slow rollout of such tests a system failure.
Now, there’s “a new partnership with the private sector to vastly accelerate and test for the coronavirus,” Trump said Friday.
He said drug giant Roche received fast-track approval for a test that could soon boost supplies by 500,000 units. Other deals are in place that could raise the national test kit supply by 5 million test units “within a month,” Trump said.
Beyond that, Trump and health officials said that Google will soon create a new website that will let any American describe his or her symptoms online and, if applicable, be directed to the nearest drive-through testing site.
Stores such as Walmart, CVS and Walgreens will set aside part of their parking lots for drive-through testing.
Crisis is changing lives
In the meantime, the public lives of Americans have come to a halt, as the coronavirus pandemic prompted officials across the country to close, cancel or postpone any event or activity that might foster the spread of COVID-19.
At least a dozen states have shuttered all public schools. Meanwhile, Broadway went dark, Disney World and Disneyland were closed, March Madness was canceled, and most professional sports leagues postponed their seasons, the Washington Post reported.
Cases in Washington state spiked to 904 196 950, Washington state now has 904 cases and California has 392.
Cases spread worldwide
As of Tuesday, the WHO had reported more than 173,344 cases of coronavirus worldwide, including over 7,019 deaths, the majority of which have occurred in China, where the outbreak began.
Internationally, hopes of containing the coronavirus are fading fast.
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