All 50 US states, as well as Washington DC, have now reported COVID-19 cases, after West Virginia reported its first case on Tuesday.
“We knew it was coming,” said West Virginia Governor Jim Justice at a news conference on Tuesday evening. “We’ve prepared for this and we shouldn’t panic.” Confirmed cases are increasing rapidly as test kits become more readily available in various states.
As of Tuesday night, the country has tallied over 6,300 COVID-19 cases, an addition of 1,500 in 24 hours, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. At least 108 deaths have resulted from the disease in the United States, 55 of which occurred in the state of Washington and 13 in New York state, according to the centre.
Amid the growing public health crisis, Houston City Council on Tuesday voted to indefinitely extend the proclamation of a local state of disaster in the fourth largest US city. The order allows Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to make decisions to work with county, state, and federal officials to contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Turner signed the disaster declaration last week, which will be in effect for seven days. “As a city, we must work together. This is a crisis that is going to be with us for several weeks, if not several months,” Turner was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Houston Mayor’s Office.
“It is gravely important for us to take definitive steps to slow the COVID-19 spread. The measures we have put in place will help save lives,” he continued.
Turner also announced on Tuesday that all city-produced, sponsored and previously permitted events are now canceled through the end of April. The city is also encouraging businesses to limit exposure to members of the public and shift their operations online for the time being. The decisions were made one day after the mayor ordered all bars, nightclubs and restaurants in Houston to close for 15 days.
Meanwhile, seven counties in California’s Bay Area on Tuesday started to follow a shelter-at-home order, which has been regarded as the strictest measure introduced in the entire country since the outbreak of the virus.– Xinhua
