- Starting Monday at 8 p.m., all gyms, movie theaters, and casinos in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will close indefinitely.
- The measures also limit bars and restaurants to take-out, the states' governors announced Monday morning.
- "We have agreed to a common set of rules that will pertain in all of our states, so don't even think of going to a neighboring state because there's going to be a different set of conditions," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
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Across the tri-state area, virtually all inessential businesses will be shuttered, or significantly reduce their operations beginning Monday at 8 p.m.
The measures were announced by Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, and Ned Lamont of Connecticut on a media call Monday morning.
By Monday evening, gymnasiums, movie theaters, and casinos will close indefinitely.
Bars and restaurants across the three states will be limited to take-out and delivery service.
Additionally, public gatherings cannot exceed 50 people, following a new recommendation from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday.
"All non-essential businesses must close," Murphy said, and unnecessary travel is "strongly discouraged."
The policy measures amount to an early regional, coordinated response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Throughout the three states, there are at least 1,074 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which is caused by the new coronavirus. New York has at least 950, New Jersey 98, and Connecticut 26.
The number of confirmed cases in the three states, and around the country, will surge as testing continues.
"We have agreed to a common set of rules that will pertain in all of our states, so don't even think of going to a neighboring state because there's going to be a different set of conditions," Cuomo told reporters.
"When we say these facilities will close at 8 p.m., they will remain closed until further notice," he added.
Lamont, for his part, slammed the US government, who failed to respond swiftly to the surging epidemic, he said. At the time of writing, there are 3,813 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country and 69 deaths.
"The feds are asleep at the switch," he said. As a result, the tri-state governors said they were doing their best to keep residents safe.
"We can't stay this enough, that everyone needs to stay in and be safe," Murphy said.
New York's Cuomo agreed. "This is a do-the-right-thing situation," he said. "Everyone is in the same situation here."
- Read more:
- Coronavirus live updates: More than 169,000 people have been infected and over 6,500 have died. The US has reported 69 deaths. Here's everything we know.
- Taiwan has only 50 coronavirus cases. Its response to the crisis shows that swift action and widespread healthcare can prevent an outbreak.
- The US doesn't have nearly enough hospital beds to handle a potential surge of coronavirus cases, analysis says
- The first COVID-19 case originated on November 17, according to Chinese officials searching for 'patient zero'
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