Bars shut and weddings axed in Donald Trump’s big US lockdown

Most drastic moves yet with ban on mass gatherings in attempt to control spread
A man in a surgical mask rides on the subway in the Brooklyn borough
REUTERS
David Gardner16 March 2020

New York, Los Angeles and other big cities across America are shutting down schools, bars, restaurants and other public gatherings to try to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

The most drastic moves yet to combat the outbreak came after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention barred mass gatherings with 50 people or more — including weddings, festivals, concerts, sporting events or conferences — for the next eight weeks.

New York and LA responded by closing restaurants, bars, nightclubs, cinemas and concert venues from tomorrow.

With US experts claiming the worst is yet to come as the number of victims continued to grow, New York mayor Bill de Blasio said: “Our city is facing an unprecedented threat and we must respond with a wartime mentality.”

He said the city’s bars, restaurants and cafes would be limited to take-aways and deliveries. The restrictions are likely to turn Manhattan, a usually bustling city of eight million people, into a virtual ghost town.

There have so far been 69 confirmed deaths and 3,774 victims of the pandemic in the US. Four of those deaths were in New York.

The bans mirror similar restrictions in Washington, Ohio, Illinois and Massachusetts, with other states expected to follow suit.

Fourteen casinos and hotels on the Las Vegas Strip will also close tomorrow. In Los Angeles, mayor Eric Garcetti shut down gyms as well as bars and restaurants — with the exception of home deliveries — and called for places of worship to close.

“Our decisions will determine the fate of our loved ones, the length of this crisis,” he said. “We need to take these steps to protect our city right now. The work we do now will have an impact on the city’s history. We need to do everything to stop the spread of this virus.”

“We have an incredible Constitution and a First Amendment so while we can’t mandate that churches, mosques or synagogues close, please, we are asking you to close them,” he added.

Mr Garcetti also ordered a moratorium on evictions of renters, telling residents they won’t lose their homes because they can’t pay the rent. Schools in Los Angeles and Boston have already been shut down and in New York, the largest district in the country with 1.1 million students, schools will close from today.

President Donald Trump said it was “really great for our country” that the Federal Reserve slashed its benchmark interest rate to near zero.

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The President acknowledged the virus was “very contagious” but he insisted his administration had “tremendous control” over the spread of the disease.

He also called on Americans to stop panic buying. “You don’t have to buy so much,” said Mr Trump. “Take it easy. Just relax.”

However, Dr Anthony Fauci, one of America’s top public health officials, warned: “The worst is yet ahead for us. It is how we respond to that challenge that is going to determine what the ultimate endpoint is going to be.”

The CDC said that its recommendation to avoid any gatherings of 50 or more does not apply to “the day-to-day operation of organisations such as schools, institutes of higher learning or businesses”.

“This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus,” it added.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress was already working on a new economic stimulus package to boost sick pay and offer more crisis cash to worst-hit areas.

Elisabeth Moss has confirmed that production on The Handmaid’s Tale series four has been halted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The actress, 37, who stars as Offred in the dystopian drama, said filming had been put on hold “to preserve the health and safety of our cast and crew and join the world in an attempt to flatten the curve”.

She shared a photo of the red cloaks and white bonnets worn by the show’s oppressed handmaids hanging unworn on a rack.

She said production would restart “as soon as it’s safe to do so” and urged people to “stay safe and healthy and take care of yourselves”.

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