US ramps up virus response
- "Relax. We're doing great. It all will pass": Trump
- CDC recommends that gatherings of 50 people or more be cancelled
- US territory of Puerto Rico imposes a 9:00pm to 5:00am curfew
Nightlife capitals New York and Los Angeles yesterday ordered schools, bars and restaurants to close or go take-out only as the US scrambled to contain the coronavirus pandemic and the Federal Reserve slashed rates to stem the fallout.
The fast-spreading outbreak has claimed almost 70 lives in the United States, disrupting every walk of life as Americans panic-buy essentials and brace for what may come.
Faced with an economic slowdown, the Fed announced emergency measures to shore up confidence and keep the financial sector running, including cutting the key interest rate to 0-0.25 percent.
President Donald Trump, in a now-daily briefing to his virus task force, praised the Fed's "phenomenal" action and sought to strike a reassuring tone even as he pleaded with Americans to stop stripping store shelves bare.
"Relax. We're doing great. It all will pass," he said.
But Anthony Fauci, the country's leading expert on infectious diseases, was blunt in telling Americans to prepare for hard times.
"The worst is ahead for us," he told the briefing. "We have a very, very critical point now."
In drastic measures, New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city's usually buzzing bars and restaurants would be restricted to take-out or delivery, and that nightclubs, theaters and concert venues must close starting today.
Schools, museums and sports arenas have already been shut in many US states -- but lively St Patrick's Day celebrations were still held despite pleas to limit socializing, prompting calls for more aggressive action.
"Our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality," De Blasio said in a statement.
Reinforcing the message, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that gatherings of 50 people or more be cancelled or postponed, not including day-to-day education or business activities.
In the strongest measure yet on American soil, the US territory of Puerto Rico imposed a 9:00pm to 5:00am curfew -- along with the closure of malls, movie theaters, gyms and bars.
As a number of states imposed shutdowns, the governor of Illinois, which includes the city of Chicago, announced that all bars and restaurants would close until March 30.
Los Angeles also said it would close bars, restaurants and nightclubs for at least two weeks, while California's Governor Gavin Newsom asked people over the age of 65 to self-isolate.
Several major Las Vegas casinos and hotels were shuttered, and party town New Orleans issued guidelines halving the capacity of bars and clubs.
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