Cities and entire states have gone on lockdown in the past week as officials work to stem the rapid spread of the coronavirus, sequestering at least 75 million people in their homes.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a statewide stay-at-home order Thursday night, and other governors followed suit within hours. Andrew Cuomo of New York, Ned Lamont of Connecticut, and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, all Democrats, issued similar orders Friday, telling people to stay in their homes unless to go to “essential” businesses only, including pharmacies, grocery stores, banks, gas stations, and child care services.
President Trump applauded Govs. Cuomo and Newsom in Friday’s White House press briefing for taking “strong, bold steps” to stem the outbreak, while National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci said he “strongly supports” the governors’ actions.
Meanwhile, officials in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Washington state, and more have ordered all bars and restaurants to close.
The most recent announcement came from Pritzker, who told reporters in Illinois that the order would last until April 7.
“I fully recognize that, in some cases, I am choosing between people’s lives and saving people’s livelihood,” Pritzker said in a news conference. “But, ultimately, you can’t have a livelihood if you don’t have your life.”
Though nonessential businesses will close and people are asked to self-isolate, they can still go outdoors as long as they practice social distancing — standing at least 6 feet away from another person. Millions of people in states without stay-at-home orders have already chosen to self-isolate unless it’s necessary to leave the house.
“The fundamental building blocks that keep our society safe and steady will not be closing down,” Pritzker said. “You can still pick up dinner from your local restaurant, pick up your prescriptions, and just spend time with your family.”
State officials did not explain how their orders would be enforced, though. There are not enough law enforcement officers to police everyone, Pritzker said, but people should be “good citizens” and keep their communities safe by staying home.
While Trump said he does not plan to recommend a nationwide stay-at-home order similar to what the Italian and Spanish governments have imposed, he ordered the Department of Homeland Security to turn away all immigrants without proper documentation arriving through the northern and southern borders Friday.
“Many of these individuals arrive with little or no identity travel or medical documentation, making public health risk determinations all but impossible,” acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said Friday. “It’s also important to note the outbreak on our southern border would likely increase the strain on our border communities, taking away important and lifesaving resources from American citizens.”
The Trump administration will also ban all nonessential travel between the United States and Mexico and between the U.S. and Canada at midnight Friday. Trump instituted a 30-day ban on travel from Europe and the United Kingdom last week, allowing only U.S. citizens and legal U.S. residents to return.
The new rules announced Thursday and Friday come as the nationwide case count surpasses 16,600, the sixth-highest number of cases behind Iran, Germany, Spain, Italy, and China.
