Schools to close for two weeks in “containment area” near NYC

March 10, 2020

New York officials are stepping up their efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that officials are implementing a “containment area” centered in New Rochelle, a suburb of New York City.

Within the containment area, a 1-mile radius, large gathering places will be closed for two weeks, officials said. That includes schools and places of worship.

“We are also going to use the National Guard in the containment area to deliver food to homes, to help with the cleaning of public spaces,” Cuomo said.

He said a temporary coronavirus testing facility will be set up within the zone.

There are now 173 coronavirus cases in New York state — 108 of them in Westchester County, which is home to New Rochelle. In total across the U.S. there were 791 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Members of the Coronavirus Task Force, charged with leading the U.S. response to the outbreak, are holding a briefing at 5:30 p.m. ET. Watch in the player above.

Meanwhile, Italians woke up to the most severe restrictions on their every-day lives since World War II, as the number of cases globally continued to climb. As of Tuesday afternoon there have been at least 116,000 cases worldwide. While 64,000 people have recovered, more than 4,000 have died.

In Italy, which has the largest outbreak outside China, all 60 million people were under travel restrictions, public gatherings and public sports events were canceled, and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told his people to stay home. He called it Italy’s “darkest hour.”

Monday was the worst day on Wall Street since the financial collapse in 2008, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling nearly 8%. Markets rebounded nearly 5% Tuesday, although several economic road signs were pointing to a possible coronavirus-induced recession.

For detailed information on coronavirus prevention and treatment, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website here.