The strain of the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak accelerated across the United States on Wednesday beyond the hot spots of New York, California and Washington state, as Louisiana and Iowa were declared federal disaster areas.
The strain of the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak accelerated across the United States on Wednesday beyond the hot spots of New York, California and Washington state, as Louisiana and Iowa were declared federal disaster areas.
U.S. President Donald Trump issued the disaster declarations late Tuesday night, freeing up federal funds to help combat the potentially lethal disease as it strains state and local resources nationwide.
Louisiana, where large crowds recently celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans and other parishes, has reported a spike in cases, with a total of 1,388 confirmed and 46 deaths as of midday Tuesday, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
“I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of state and local governments,” John Bel Edwards, the state’s governor, wrote the White House this week in seeking the declaration.
Earlier in the week, Bel Edwards said the state had just 381 intensive care unit beds available.
Iowa, where officials announced the state’s first death from the novel coronavirus Tuesday night, has reported 124 confirmed cases.
In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said late Tuesday his state has surpassed 160 coronavirus cases as a few dozen new cases were diagnosed in the past day.
He says one of the new cases stemmed from a “coronavirus party.” The governor didn’t give any details about the event but he quickly denounced it.
“Anyone who goes to something like this may think that they are indestructible, but it’s someone else’s loved one that they are going to hurt,” said Beshear.
Nationwide, COVID-19 has infected more than 53,000 people and killed at least 720, with World Health Organization officials warning the United States could become the global epicentre of the pandemic, which broke out late last year in Wuhan, China.
More stay-at-home orders
In recent days, the governors of at least 18 states have issued stay-at-home directives affecting about half the nation’s population. The sweeping orders are aimed at slowing the virus’s spread but has upended daily life as schools and businesses shutter indefinitely.
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