The Trump administration said Monday that the public should avoid gatherings larger than 10 people and cancel discretionary travel, among other social distancing guidelines, in a bid to slow the coronavirus outbreak.
The White House is recommending that older people and those with underlying health conditions “stay home and away from other people” as it continues to step up efforts to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The White House is laying out steps it is encouraging Americans to take as part of a campaign that it is calling, “15 days to slow the spread.”
They also want Americans to work from home if possible, avoid eating or drinking in bars and restaurants, and “avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips, and social visits.”
The White House is also advising governors in states with evidence of community transmission to close schools and says that states with evidence of community spread should close restaurants, bars, gyms, and other venues where people gather.
Millions of Americans are holed up at home against the coronavirus, with many of them thrown out of work until further notice.
Authorities have tightened the epic clampdown and the list of businesses forced to close across the U.S. has been extended to restaurants, bars, gyms and casinos.
The rapid work stoppage had Americans fretting about their jobs and their savings, threatened to overwhelm unemployment benefit programs, and heightened fears the country could plunge into a recession.
The U.S. surgeon general, meanwhile, said the number of U.S. coronavirus cases has reached the level that Italy recorded two weeks ago – a signal that infections are expected to rise in America.
In Washington, the Supreme Court said it was postponing legal arguments because of the outbreak, while the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut said bars, restaurants and casinos, will close on Monday night.
Offices for the Social Security Adminstration will be closed to the public starting Tuesday in an effort to protect those most at risk from the virus: the elderly and people with underlying conditions.
The SSA will still provide critical services by phone.
The nation’s top infectious disease official said he would like to see a 14-day national shutdown imposed. Dr. Anthony Fauci said Americans should be prepared to “hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing.”
While it does not appear President Donald Trump would order such a shutdown, officials in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Massachusetts ordered bars and restaurants shuttered.
The Washington governor is expected to issue a similar ban Monday. New York City limited eateries to handling takeout and delivery orders.
In addition, schools in more than 30 states have closed their doors.
Trump administration officials on Sunday described a targeted, government-driven effort to screen for the virus in the most vulnerable Americans and those able to treat them.
Officials said federal emergency and health workers would partner with states to set up community centers capable of testing 2,000 to 4,000 people per day. The details come amid growing frustration about lack of access to testing and concerns the virus is spreading undetected.
The death toll in the United States climbed to 65, while infections neared 4,000.
Officials in six San Francisco Bay Area counties issued a shelter-in-place mandate on Monday affecting nearly 7 million people, including the city of San Francisco itself.
The order says residents must stay inside and venture out only for necessities for three weeks starting Tuesday in a desperate attempt by officials to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
It affects the counties of San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa.
Millions of students are staying home from school to contain the spread of the coronavirus, with districts covering 85% of the state’s students shuttered.
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