Large swathes of America are shutting down after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday night advised against holding large gatherings of more than 50 people for at least eight weeks to fight coronavirus.
The recommendations led to four states ordering bars and restaurants to effectively shut – limiting them to take out only – and New York City ordered the same as well as the shutting down of nightclubs, cinemas and theaters.
Washington, Ohio, Illinois and Massachusetts all ordered bars and restaurants to offer take out food only. California has asked all bars to shut and Los Angeles has ordered owners of establishments to shut them down.
The developments mean economic hardship for millions of service industry workers who will miss out on tips even if they are still paid. Many independent businesses are also unlikely to be able to survive a period of prolonged closure.
The closures announced so far are:
- New York City will begin closing restaurants and bars on Tuesday
- Ohio, which ordered closures to begin on Sunday and last indefinitely
- Illinois, which ordered closures of establishments to begin on Monday
- In Massachusetts, bar owners will begin to shut their doors on Tuesday
- Washington state officials ordered bars to close beginning on Monday
- Meanwhile, California officials has asked bars to shutdown temporarily
- Denver will make announcement about closures on Monday at 11am
It appears that all states will soon issue similar advisories for residents.
In a memo shared on their website, the CDC advised state officials that large events and mass gatherings, such as festivals, conferences and parades, could contribute to the spread of COVID-19.
‘Therefore, CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States,’ the CDC said.
The developments came after Donald Trump earlier on Sunday urged Americans not to stockpile food and told citizens to ‘take it easy’. Vice President Mike Pence also insisted that food stores will stay open indefinitely.
The worldwide outbreak has sickened more than 169,000 people and left more than 6,500 dead, with thousands of new cases confirmed each day. In the United States, there are more than 3,700 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and nearly 70 deaths.
Parts of America already looks like a ghost town, and others are about to follow as theme parks closed, Florida beaches shooed away spring breakers and Starbucks said it will accept only drive-through and takeout orders.
California came first when Gov Gavin Newsome called for all bars in the state to shut their doors.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would order all bars and restaurants to close their dine-in options to customers effective on Tuesday.
Officials in other states, including Ohio, Illinois and Massachusetts, said they will be giving similar orders this week.
During a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Newsom advised restaurants to cut their capacities by 50 per cent in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
‘We are directing that all bars, night clubs, wineries, brew pubs and the like be closed in the state of California,’ Newsom said.
There are currently 335 confirmed cases of coronavirus in California as of Sunday afternoon, which is a 14 per cent increase from the day before. Six deaths have been reported in the state.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised officials across the United States to crack down on large gatherings of more than 50 people for at least eight weeks as the governors of California, Illinois and Ohio close all of the bars in their states
Tyler Baldwin mops the floor after closing for the night at the Taproom at Pike Place on Sunday where he works as a bartender in Seattle. Washington Gov Jay Inslee said Sunday night that all bars, restaurants, entertainment and recreation facilities in the state will temporarily close beginning on Monday
Waiters and bartenders clean up bars and restaurants along North High Street in the Short North District on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. The state’s governor, Mike DeWine, announced the government would issue an order closing all bars and restaurants in Ohio beginning at 9pm Sunday due to the ongoing threat of the coronavirus outbreak
‘We believe that this is a non-essential function in our state and we believe that it’s appropriate under the circumstances to move in that direction,’ Newsom added.
The governor, who declared a state of emergency earlier this month after the first death in California, said as it relates to restaurants, officials have more ‘nuanced concerns and considerations’.
‘Some have suggested shutting down all of our restaurants. We don’t believe ultimately that is necessary at this moment. Consideration nonetheless is to socially distance patrons within these establishments,’ Newsom said.
In doing so, restaurants will be forced to cut their current occupancy by half in order to properly social distance diners.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said all bars and nightclubs will close and restaurants must halt dine-in service and limit their business to takeout orders beginning at midnight.
The order will remain until March 31 as part of the city’s efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Movie theaters, gyms and fitness centers will also be closed, Garcetti said, adding that grocery stores, pharmacies and food banks will remain open.
Late Sunday evening, New York’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced that all bars and restaurants would close effective Tuesday morning.
In a series of tweets, the mayor wrote: ‘The virus can spread rapidly through the close interactions New Yorkers have in restaurants, bars and places where we sit close together. We have to break that cycle.
‘Tomorrow [Monday], I will sign an Executive Order limiting restaurants, bars and cafes to food take-out and delivery.’
The mayor also said that nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses and concert venues ‘must all close’.
‘This is not a decision I make lightly. These places are part of the heart and soul of our city. They are part of what it means to be a New Yorker. But our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality,’ he added.
Waiters and bartenders clean up bars and restaurants along North High Street in the Short North District on Sunday shortly after DeWine announced the closure of all bars and restaurants in Ohio
Some bars and restaurants were already pretty empty on Sunday before California Gov Gavin Newsom asked owners to shut their doors. Pictured is a bar at the Grand Central Market in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday
Customers sit and enjoy coffee on Saturday at the Coffee Emporium in Cincinnati, Ohio
De Blasio made the decision to close the city’s schools earlier on Sunday, sending more than 1.1 million children home in hopes of curbing the spread of coronavirus. Schools will be closed beginning Monday through April 20.
The mayor had originally balked, but under pressure from Gov Andrew Cuomo and others he said Sunday: ‘I became convinced over the course of today that there is no other choice.’
New Jersey’s governor, Philip Murphy, is said to be considering similar restrictions. He said on Sunday that a statewide school shutdown would be ‘imminent’.
In Connecticut, Gov Ned Lamont said that all public schools in the state will shut down on Tuesday and stay closed until at least March 31.
Meanwhile in Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser is not ordering bars and restaurants to close. Instead, she is asking that establishments ‘suspend the use of bar seating’ and ‘ensure that no more than 250 people are present in the space at the same time’.
Patrons will have to sit at tables with six people or less and tables will need to be at least six feet a part.
Bowser did say that nightclubs and multi-purpose facilities in the district must close.
Washington state governor, Jay Inslee, tweeted Sunday night that he will ‘temporarily shut down restaurants, bars and entertainment/recreational facilities statewide’.
Inslee said ‘grocery stores and pharmacies will stay open, restaurants may continue take-out and delivery service and retail outlets can stay open with reduced occupancy’.
‘I know there will be significant economic impacts to all our communities. But every hour counts as we bend the curve of infection. We have, and will continue to take steps to mitigate those challenges,’ Inslee said.
Illinois Gov J.B. Pritzker announced the closure of all bars and restaurants in the state effective Monday evening.
‘The time for persuasion and public appeals is over,’ Pritzker said. ‘This is not a joke. No one is immune to this.’
California Gov Gavin Newsom (pictured speaking on Sunday) has called for the closure of all bars in the state and advised restaurants to focus on social distancing by cutting their capacities by 50 per cent in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus
In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (left), announced the closure of all bars and restaurants in the state effective Monday evening. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (right) also revealed that the state will be doing the same
His decision came hours after Dr Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, said he would like to see a 14-day national shutdown imposed to prevent the virus’s spread.
‘I think Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing,’ said Fauci, a member of the White House task force on combating the spread of coronavirus.
He heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. However, there is no indication President Donald Trump is considering such a move.
Ohio’s governor Mike DeWine also revealed that the state will be closing their eateries, as well.
‘We will be issuing an order closing all bars and restaurants in #Ohio beginning at 9:00 tonight,’ DeWine tweeted Sunday afternoon.
‘I’m aware that this will impact many, many good workers. I can’t tell you how sorry I am, but we will work to mitigate the suffering. It is our goal to get everyone through this,’ DeWine added.
DeWine’s order will shut down all in-person dining in Ohio, but restaurants and bars will still offer carryout and delivery.
In another tweet, DeWine wrote: ‘Every day we delay, more people will die. If we do not act and get some distance between people, our healthcare system in Ohio will not hold up.’
Massachusetts Gov Charlie Baker, who declared a state of emergency last week, ordered all schools to close beginning on Monday.
On Sunday, Baker also banned gatherings with more than 25 people and limited restaurants to offer take-out only. The ban will begin on Tuesday and end on April 17.
‘I’m ordering that any restaurant, bar or establishment that offers food or drink, shall not permit on premises consumption. These establishments may continue to offer food for takeout and delivery,’ Baker said at a press conference.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the decision to close schools beginning Monday through at least April 20 and possibly for the school year. He also announced the closure of all bars and restaurants
The mayor called it a ‘very troubling moment, a moment when I’m just distraught at having to take this action, but I became convinced over the course of today that there is no other choice’. Students from Stuyvesant High School students are seen leaving school on Friday
In Tennessee, Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced on Sunday that bars along Lower Broadway would be closed to customers temporarily.
His order also includes limiting restaurant seating to less than 50 per cent of capacity, with no more than 100 individuals allowed in a given establishment and limiting bar service at restaurants to 50 per cent capacity with no standing allowed.
Pennsylvania Gov Tom Wolf ordered all restaurants and bars to close their dine-in facilities starting Monday in five heavily populated counties, including Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, and the four counties ringing Philadelphia.
The order, issued late Sunday night, followed Pittsburgh’s announcement of a ban on public gatherings of 50 people or more, tightening an earlier restriction Sunday to bring it in line with new guidelines from federal health officials. The bans begin Monday morning.
Wolf’s order to bars and restaurants toughens a posture toward private businesses in Philadelphia’s suburbs in which Wolf had urged business to ‘what’s right’.
The order applies to Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, where one-fourth of Pennsylvania’s population lives. It prohibits eating and drinking inside restaurants and bars for at least 14 days, but does not bar delivery and drive-through service.
The developments came after Donald Trump (pictured on Sunday) earlier on Sunday urged Americans not to stockpile food and told citizens to ‘take it easy’. Vice President Mike Pence also insisted that food stores will stay open indefinitely
The administration will reevaluate the decision after 14 days, Wolf said in the statement.
‘Ensuring the health and safety of Pennsylvanians is the highest priority as the state grapples with a growing number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, and as the virus continues to spread, it is in the best interest of the public to encourage social distancing by closing restaurants and bars temporarily,’ Wolf said.
‘I understand that this is disruptive to businesses as well as patrons who just want to enjoy themselves, but in the best interest of individuals and families in the mitigation counties, we must take this step.’
Businesses that do not adhere to the order could face penalties, Wolf’s administration said. In the preceding days, Wolf had urged ‘non-essential’ businesses in the suburban Philadelphia counties to close, but he did not threaten penalties.
His administration is trying to connect businesses to financial assistance that might help offset the impact of closing, it said.
Allegheny County had separately asked nonessential businesses to close for 14 days.
The measures were announced as officials said one of the state’s new positive cases of the coronavirus is a staffer at Lehigh Valley Hospital-17th Street. It’s the first positive case in Lehigh County.
Iowa’s governor, Kim Reynolds, recommended Sunday night that the state’s schools close for four weeks.
Reynolds had said Saturday that she didn’t support cancelling school, but a day later she said it was time for schools to stop holding classes after four more residents tested positive for the virus. The new cases bring the total to 22 Iowa residents who have tested positive.
‘We have substantial community spread that takes us to a new level,’ Reynolds said.
In the United States, there are more than 3,700 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 60 deaths
In Florida, Walt Disney World and Universal-Orlando (pictured on Sunday) were closing Sunday night for the rest of the month, joining their California siblings, which already closed
This image shows the empty streets in Manhattan’s Times Square on Sunday afternoon
Two of the people who tested positive had recently traveled internationally but two others hadn’t traveled, indicating there was growing ‘community spread’ of the virus.
In Florida, Walt Disney World and Universal-Orlando were closing Sunday night for the rest of the month, joining their California siblings, which already closed.
Farther south, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale officials announced that they are closing their beaches, where thousands of college spring breakers from around the world have flocked.
The cities also ordered restaurants and bars closed by 10pm and to keep crowds below 250.
‘We cannot become a petri dish for a very dangerous virus,’ Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said. ‘Spring break is over. The party is over.’
Starbucks said Sunday it is closing seating in its cafes and patio areas nationwide, but customers can still order at the counter, at drive-throughs or on the Starbucks app.
It will also close or reduce hours in areas where there are a high number of cases.
But not all government officials were as concerned. Oklahoma’s Republican Gov Kevin Stitt tweeted a picture of himself and his children at a crowded metro restaurant Saturday night.
‘The governor will continue to take his family out to dinner and to the grocery store without living in fear, and encourages Oklahomans to do the same,’ Charlie Hannema, a spokesman for the governor, said in an email.
However, Stitt walked back that comment and even deleted the tweet after he faced backlash over the photo.
He has since declared a statewide emergency which unlocks additional funding for health agencies and hospitals to fight COVID-19, plus loans for small businesses affected by the pandemic.
‘Life as we know it will change for a little while, but it doesn’t have to shut down completely,’ Stitt said Sunday, adding that people should still look for ways to support local businesses.
Republican Rep Devin Nunes had a similar message on Fox News Sunday, encouraging people to go to local restaurants and pubs despite the warnings of health officials.
‘There’s a lot of concerns with the economy here because people are scared to go out, but I will just say one of the things you can do – if you’re healthy, you and your family it’s a great time to just go out, go to a local restaurant, likely you can get in easily,’ he said.
‘Let’s not hurt the working people in this country that are relying on wages and tips to keep their small business going.’