Coronavirus: New York extends lockdown to mid-May
New York will extend restrictions on schools and businesses until 15 May as the number of deaths and hospitalizations from coronavirus fell to their lowest levels in over a week.
The number of deaths reported today fell to 606, the lowest level in 10 days, while the number of people admitted to hospital fell below 18,000.
State governor Andrew Cuomo said that the rate had slowed as a result of people’s actions, which is why the figures had not hit the levels shown by models in the US’ worst hit state.
Cuomo’s decision to extend the stay-at-home measures for another week will be implemented in partnership with other states in the region.
The move comes as US president Donald Trump is expected to announce his strategy to begin reopening parts of the US, despite the country suffering a record 2,500 deaths yesterday
The total number of cases nationwide rose nearly 30,000 yesterday to 637,000, the biggest increase in five days.
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Trump will speak to state governors later this afternoon and is expected to share details of the plan at a press conference later today.
The Republican incumbent’s hopes of reelection in November hang on the strength of the US economy, which is suffering unprecedented levels of damage due to the pandemic.
Earlier today data revealed that a further 5.2m US workers had filed unemployment claims this week, taking the total number of jobless claims in the last month to 22m.
Across the entire extent of 2008-2009’s financial crisis the number of jobless claims reached 9m.
Republican governor of North Dakota Doug Burgum is the only state authority who had thus far issued their own instructions for lifting restrictions.
Burgum has issued guideline to begin reopening the rural state on 1 May.