“We have not yet reached our peak,” Dr.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease said at a White House briefing Saturday.
The top US health official said America hasn’t hit the peak of its coronavirus outbreak, even officials across the country impose a series of restrictions to prevent the virus’s spread.
As the number of cases nears 3,000, Fauci said that the US can still expect more cases and deaths, primarily among vulnerable and older individuals.
As of Saturday, West Virginia remained the only state without any confirmed cases. Recent report says that on Sunday morning, there were at least 2,885 coronavirus cases in 49 states, the US Virgin Islands, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. At least 60 people have died.
With the threat of further spread on the horizon, local governments have encouraged residents to practice social distancing and stay home. States such as New York, Washington state and California have cancelled mass gatherings.
Many schools across the country have closed, worship services have been canceled. Recreational and entertainment events are at a near-halt, bringing a drastic changes to the everyday lives of Americans.
Restrictions and closures keep coming.
According to Mayor Ravinder Bhalla, Hoboken, New Jersey announced a citywide curfew starting Monday. Residents will be required to stay in their homes from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. With exceptions for work, bars and restaurants in the city won’t be allowed to serve food inside their locations as of Sunday at 11 a.
m. and “will be permitted to conduct food takeout and food delivery service only,” Bhalla’s statement said.
In Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order requiring that downhill ski resorts close for a week due to the presence of coronavirus in the mountain communities with limited care capacity.
Gov. Polis said he was directing “downhill ski resorts to suspend operations for one week to slow the spread of COVID-19 and conserve medical resources in our mountain communities.” He said they will continue to monitor the course of the outbreak and may amend the executive order.
According to LAPD spokesperson Josh Rubenstein, the Los Angeles County will temporarily suspend all jury trials. The high-profile murder trial of millionaire Robert Durst is expected to be one of those cases to put on hold, pending final approval from the presiding judge.
In addition to the efforts on slowing the spread, President Donald Trump expanded the restrictions on entry into the US from Europe to include the United Kingdom and Ireland. The travel restrictions go into effect Monday at midnight.
Restrictions from 26 other countries in Europe went into effect Friday.
American citizens and their family members are exempt from both restrictions, but they are subject to enhanced medical screenings upon arrival.
President Trump declared a national emergency on Friday, freeing up $50 billion in federal resources to combat the outbreaks.
The Trump administration said Friday it was partnering with the private sector to also boost testing capacity, with both more tests and drive-through testing.
On Friday, Trump said 5 million coronavirus tests would be available within a month, adding American retail executives would be donating resources to facilitate drive-through testing across the country. But those companies later said they had few details on what they could offer or when test kits would be available.
Trump took a coronavirus test Friday night, he told reporters Saturday, after facing questions about whether he had been tested at a news conference the day before. The White House later reported the test was negative.
Trump had his temperature taken before Saturday’s briefing, and it was normal, he said.