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California governor orders residents to stay home amid coronavirus

WION Web Team
Los AngelesUpdated: Mar 20, 2020, 08:48 AM IST
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Photograph:(WION)

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Two hundred and eighteen people have died of the virus in the United States with the number of confirmed cases going up to 14,299

California Governor Gavin Newsom in a statewide advisory asked residents to "stay home" while declaring that "those that work in critical sectors should go to work" as the coronavirus continued to spead in the state.

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"Grocery stores, pharmacies, banks and more will stay open," California governor Newsom asserted.

"We need to meet this moment and flatten the curve together," Newsom asserted.

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California reported  675 positive cases of the virus on Wednesday with 16 deaths. The governor had declared a state of emergency on March 4 as the epidemic began to spread.

Earlier, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti imposed a similar order.

Also Read: Spain virus death toll soars nearly 30 per cent to 767

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"To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, I'm taking executive action to temporarily close bars, nightclubs, restaurants (except takeout/delivery), entertainment venues, and other establishments," Mayor Eric Garcetti had said on his Facebook page.

However, the Los Angeles mayor added that there was "no food shortage and grocery stores will remain open".

Two hundred and eighteen people have died of the virus in the United States with the number of confirmed cases going up to 14,299. Sixty-eight new deaths were reported in the US on Thursday.

Globally, the death toll from the virus has risen to over 9,800 with more than 232,650 cases in 158 countries and territories.

President Trump said on Thursday that US is fast-tracking antimalarial drugs for use as a treatment against the virus.

"We're going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that's where the FDA has been so great," Trump said.