WASHINGTON: The streets of major US cities were eerily empty on Tuesday morning after officials from President Donald Trump on down stepped up warnings about the coronavirus pandemic, while the number of cases mushroomed and deaths topped 80.
Millions of Americans hunkered down in their homes instead of commuting to work or school. New York and other major cities escalated “social distancing” policies by closing schools, bars, restaurants and theaters.
Officials in six San Francisco Bay Area counties on Monday ordered residents to stay at home for all but the most crucial outings until April 7. That directive came a day after California Governor Gavin Newsom urged adults older than 65, and their caretakers, to remain indoors whether or not they have underlying health conditions.
It was St. Patrick’s Day but the mood was sober, not joyous, after traditional parades and parties celebrating the Irish heritage of many Americans were canceled across the country.
The S&P 500 tumbled 12 percent on Monday, its worst single-day loss since the stock market crash of 1987.
Politics will proceed mostly as scheduled in three of four states that have primary elections to select a Democratic presidential candidate to challenge Trump in the November general elections.
Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders square off in Florida, Illinois and Arizona, but Ohio officials canceled their primary due to coronavirus fears hours before the vote was to begin.
FASTFACT
The US has lagged behind other industrialized nations in its ability to test for the novel coronavirus.
The tally of confirmed US cases has multiplied quickly over the past few weeks, surpassing 4,600 and prompting fears American hospitals might soon be overwhelmed, as Italian medical centers have been strained to the breaking point.
At least 83 people in the US had died of the virus, as of Monday, with the hardest-hit state, Washington, accounting for the bulk of the fatalities, including six more announced.
The US has lagged behind other industrialized nations in its ability to test for the novel coronavirus. In early March, the Trump administration said close to 1 million tests would soon be available and anyone who needed a test would get one, a promise it failed to keep.
After previously downplaying the danger and declaring the situation under control, the White House urged Americans on Monday to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and called for closing bars, restaurants and other venues in states where local virus transmission exists.
