Tracking the Impact of the Coronavirus on the U.S. – The New York Times

California called for all people 65 and older to shelter in their homes. Massachusetts moved to ban dining in at bars and restaurants beginning Tuesday, effectively closing Bostons bars for St. Patricks Day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended no gatherings with 50 people or more be held for the next eight weeks. And Puerto Rico set some of the strictest measures in the United States, imposing a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and closing nonessential businesses.

As the number of coronavirus cases in the United States climbed to over 3,100 across 49 states on Sunday, and after weeks of conflicting signals from the federal government, state and local officials across the nation began enacting stricter measures to try to slow the viruss spread.

Massachusetts said that beginning on Tuesday bars and restaurants would be able to offer takeout and delivery only. The state also banned gatherings of more than 25 people and ordered all public and private schools to close Tuesday.

I realize these measures are unprecedented, Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts said Sunday night, but were asking our residents to take a deep breath and understand the rationale behind this guidance.

The state of Ohio ordered restaurants and bars to close as of 9 p.m. Sunday, but said it would allow food to be carried out and delivered. Marylands governor ordered casinos, racetracks and betting facilities to close indefinitely.

Even as public health experts were publicly urging social distancing, Representative Devin Nunes, Republican of California, went on Fox News and encouraged healthy people to dine out at restaurants. Likely you can get in easily, he said. Lets not hurt the working people in this country that are relying on wages and tips to keep their small business going.

And Oklahomas governor was criticized on social media after sharing a selfie on Twitter on Saturday of him with his children having dinner at a packed food hall in the heart of Oklahoma City. In the since-deleted tweet, he captioned the photo with, Eating with my kids and all my fellow Oklahomans at the @CollectiveOKC. Its packed tonight! #supportlocal #OklaProud.

The scope of the public health crisis became even clearer over the weekend as officials in Louisiana, New York and Virginia reported their first deaths tied to the coronavirus. Only West Virginia was without a single diagnosis.

In the Omaha, Neb., area, officials reported the first known instance of community spread. In Illinois, a nursing facility where a woman tested positive was placed on lockdown. And in Pittsburgh, where the first local cases were announced on Saturday, city leaders urged bars to limit the number of people they allowed inside.

New York City officials advised all members of the United Nations diplomatic community that they should assume they have been exposed to the coronavirus, should practice the maximum-possible social distancing and should not expect any special accommodations if they are sickened, according to a memo of a teleconference briefing shared by diplomats.

Two American emergency-room doctors one in Washington State and one in New Jersey were in critical condition with Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the American College of Emergency Physicians said on Saturday. Dr. William Jaquis, the organizations president, said it was unclear whether the doctor in Washington, who is in his 40s, had contracted the virus at the hospital. The physician in Paterson, N.J., who is 70, had been leading his hospitals emergency preparedness.

The authorities in Texas began preparing judges for the possibility that they may have to be ready to order the quarantine of coronavirus patients who refuse to isolate themselves.

Despite the clearing out of grocery-store shelves in recent days, the nations biggest retailers, dairy farmers and meat producers said the food supply chain remains intact and has been ramping up to meet the stockpiling brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

At a news conference on Sunday afternoon, President Trump said he had had a phone call with the chief executives of several food suppliers, who said they were committed to staying open through the pandemic. He said the call was very reassuring and said there was no need to hoard essential food supplies.

You dont have to buy so much, take it easy, just relax, Mr. Trump said. Were doing great, it all will pass.

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Tracking the Impact of the Coronavirus on the U.S. - The New York Times