Trump and U.S. states escalate campaign to slow coronavirus spread

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The White House issued new U.S. coronavirus guidelines on Monday warning Americans to limit social gatherings to 10 or fewer people and urging restaurants, bars and other public venues to close in states where community transmission of the virus exists.

But President Donald Trump said he was refraining from ordering sweeping public quarantines or lockdowns for the time being, even as some state and local officials acted to impose their own mandatory restrictions on eateries, movie theaters and other places of leisure in a bid to contain the respiratory virus.

“We’re recommending things,” Trump told a White House news conference. “We haven’t gone to that step yet” of ordering a lockdown. “That could happen, but we haven’t gone there yet.”

Trump also said a nationwide curfew was not under consideration at this point, and he disagreed with the notion of postponing primary elections.

While the number of known coronavirus infections and deaths in the United States paled in comparison to hot spots of the global pandemic, such as China, Italy or Iran, the tally of confirmed U.S. cases has multiplied quickly over the past few weeks, surpassing 4,000.

At least 74 people have died of the virus, as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University and public health agencies, with the hardest-hit state, Washington, accounting for the bulk of those fatalities.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said health officials are relying on members of the millennial generation – those in their 20s to 40s, and representing the largest living adult cohort – to alter their social behavior for the good of the public.

“Why do I think the millennial are the key?” Birx asked rhetorically at the briefing. “Because they’re the ones that are out and about, and they’re the most likely to be in social gatherings, and they’re the most likely to be the least symptomatic.”

Release of the latest 15-day guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came as state and local government officials pleaded with the Trump administration to mount a coordinated national response to the coronavirus pandemic, as millions of workers and students hunkered down at home to slow the spread of the outbreak.

The unprecedented wave of closures and restrictions, which began to accelerate last week, took on fresh urgency as New Jersey “strongly discouraged” all non-essential and non-emergency travel between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., starting on Monday.

And officials in six San Francisco Bay Area counties on Monday ordered residents to stay at home for all but the most crucial outings until April 7.

In the U.S. capital, a deeply divided Senate was considering a multibillion-dollar emergency spending bill requiring sick leave for some workers and expanded unemployment compensation, while the Supreme Court postponed oral arguments for the first time in over a century.

SCHOOLS CLOSED IN 33 STATES

The states of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut struck a regional agreement to close all movie theaters, casinos and gyms as of 8 p.m. Monday (0000 GMT). Restaurants and bars in the three states — where more than 22 million people live – will serve takeout and delivery only.

Michigan and Maryland have taken similar measures.

Some 64,000 U.S. schools were closed in at least 33 states, including in the nation’s two biggest public school systems – New York City and Los Angeles. School closures nationwide were disrupting instruction for at least 32.5 million students, according to Education Week.

School districts are trying to find a way to provide meals and create lessons plans for the millions of students who are forced to stay home.

State restrictions on restaurants and places of leisure, while in line with expert advice to slow spread of the virus through “social distancing,” will hit many lower-paid workers in the service industry.

Jessica Wilmot, owner of The Ancient Mariner pub in Ridgefield, Connecticut, said that while she feels closing shops is the right move, she worries about her mostly part-time staff who work paycheck to paycheck.

“Personally I’m all for containment,” said Wilmot, noting that her revenues had already fallen about 40% last week from the prior week. “But my business view is, I’m nauseous.”

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, both Democrats, said efforts by state and local authorities were insufficient to confront the coast-to-coast emergency.

They called for bold federal action involving the U.S. military and Army Corps of Engineers. More than 4,200 people in the United States have been confirmed as being infected with the fast-spreading virus, prompting fears U.S. hospitals will soon be overrun similar to medical centers in Italy.

AIRLINES SEEK BAILOUT

As traders reacted to drastic weekend measures from the Federal Reserve to stave off a global recession, U.S. stock markets plunged anew on Monday with the S&P 500 closing down 12%.

Major airlines sought a U.S. government bailout of more than $50 billion as the White House drafted a financial assistance package in the wake of the steep falloff in U.S. travel demand. “We have to back the airlines,” Trump said on Monday. “It’s not their fault.” Separately, U.S. airports are seeking $10 billion in government assistance.

Trump, a Republican, declared a national emergency on Friday and has championed the U.S. government’s response, saying his administration has done a “a very fantastic job.” Democratic leaders have criticized him for downplaying the crisis and issuing misleading or false statements.

AMERICANS AT HOME

Many Americans had no choice but to work from home, forcing many households to make the best of a difficult situation.

Karen Pisciotta, 52, a business consultant from Maplewood, New Jersey with a home office that will now be shared by her husband and three teenage children, decided humor was the best approach.

“There’s a strange man in my dining room. He’s been on the phone a lot, taking time only to eat my family’s dinner leftovers. He says he’s going to be here all the time starting Tuesday,” Pisciotta posted on Facebook.

The outbreak has taken a major toll on U.S. sports. Major League Baseball said it will further delay the start of its 2020 season after the CDC said that gatherings of 50 or more people should be canceled or postponed for the next eight weeks.

The United States, which has lagged behind other industrialized nations in its ability to test for the novel coronavirus. In early March, the Trump administration said close to 1 million tests would soon be available and anyone who needed a test would get one, a promise it failed to keep.

Dr. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, said at the White House on Monday that 1 million tests were now available with help from leading commercial laboratories, and that at least 2 million test kits would be ready by next week.

He said the government was working to set up remote drive-through testing sites that would primarily serve elderly people exhibiting symptoms and healthcare workers who are at greatest risk of exposure.