The majority of the public will be ordered to stay home in the coming days as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the nation.
A total of 13 states and at least 16 municipalities have enacted measures to keep residents inside their homes to prevent the spread of the virus, according to CNN. That number, which amounts to 148,577,262 people, or 45% of the population, is expected to grow this week as five more states and nine more municipalities institute additional measures.
After the new orders go into effect, a total of 176,385,537 people, or 54% of the population, will be asked to stay home.
The news comes the same day that the United States reached its 50,000th case of the coronavirus and also saw the first death of someone under 18 years old. The surgeon general warned on Monday that cases will grow this week as more people are tested and the pandemic accelerates.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, more than 52,000 people in the U.S. have tested positive for the virus, and 677 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
