New York Governor orders mass restrictions on public life to take effect tonight amid the coronavirus pandemic

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered sweeping restrictions on public life to take effect today amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Restaurants, theatres and casinos will be closed at 20:00 ET (00:00 GMT) today and non-essential shops are being urged to do the same.

New York, alongside neighbours Connecticut and New Jersey, will also ban gatherings of more than 50 people with fines and imprisonment levied if not abided by.

The changes have been ordered “amid a lack of federal direction and nationwide standards,” Governor Cuomo said on Monday.

Local governments in New York state are to cut their workforce by 50%, and though essential services like petrol stations and pharmacies could remain open past 20:00, they were recommended not to do so.

The governor has also asked local governments to find spaces – like university dorms and former nursing facilities – to be used as temporary hospitals in anticipation of further cases.

Mr Cuomo urged the federal government to deploy national resources to increase build medical capacity, which he said the state could not do on its own.

Five other states, Ohio, California, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington, will also shut bars and restaurants.

The US has confirmed 69 deaths linked to Covid-19 and 3,813 cases of infection.

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