In the absence of a national strategy to deal with the coronavirus pandemic that continues to advance in the United States with more than 11 million infections and 246,255 deaths, several states and cities in the country have adopted new restrictions.
The measures vary strongly from place to place, and in the case of New Mexico, it includes the total confinement of the population. The use of chinstrap, for example, is already mandatory in most of the 50 states, including North Dakota, governed by Republicans, although 19 of them still do not require it.
These are some of the latest restrictions announced:
In Washington state, where cases have doubled in the past two weeks, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday banned all indoor gatherings with people outside the family group, one of the biggest contagion factors. Unless the person does a 14-day quarantine before the meeting or a seven-day quarantine with a negative
covid result.
Inslee also banned eating inside bars and restaurants and restricted capacity in places of worship, supermarkets and other stores to 25%.
Private meetings outside, or dinners outside in a restaurant were limited to a maximum of five people.
The measures will be in effect until December 14.
Since this Monday there is a confinement order for the population, except for essential exits, and 100% of non-essential shops have closed. Meals in bars and restaurants are prohibited, only food delivery is allowed.
New Mexico is at a breaking point. We are facing a life and death situation, said Democratic Gov. Michelle Luján Grisham.
The state of Michigan announced Sunday the closure of high schools and universities that must now offer 100% of their courses online, as well as cinemas and casinos or indoor recreational activities such as bowling.
He banned dinners inside bars and restaurants and ordered work from home whenever possible. The measures will be in effect for at least three weeks, until December 9.
We are at the worst moment of this pandemic so far. The situation has never been so tough, said Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Restaurants and bars will only be able to sell food to go or for delivery from Wednesday until December 2.
Democratic Gov. Kate Brown also ended all recreational activities, including museums, gyms, zoos and gardens, and limited meetings to a maximum of six people.
Indoor gatherings will be limited to 10 people (as is already the case in New York) and outdoor meetings to 150 people, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday.
Indoor events such as church services, weddings and funerals may continue at 25% capacity, or up to 150 people, he said.
Following a doubling of new cases in 10 days, California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that 41 of the state's 58 counties are on high violet alert (up from 12 previously), implying schools closed and bar meals and restaurants only outside.
The city of San Francisco climbed two risk notches, from yellow to red, the second highest, after a 250% rise in new cases since October. It banned eating inside establishments and reduced gym capacity from 25% to 10%. Non-essential offices will need to close and work online.
Republican Gov. Doug Burgum ordered the wearing of a chinstrap in public on Friday although he previously opposed the measure. It also limited the capacity in bars and restaurants to 50% from this Monday.
Chinstraps are now mandatory in Texas, the second most populous state in the country after California. But most businesses are still open, even though Texas last week saw more than 10,000 new cases a day on average.
The situation is especially worrying in El Paso, on the border with Mexico, where temporary morgues have been deployed.
The state of Illinois did not impose a confinement, but Chicago, the third largest city in the United States, did so from Monday and for three weeks, except to go to school, the supermarket or work, if it cannot be done remotely .
In the largest American city and the one that was the national epicenter of the crisis, which has registered more than 34,000 deaths from
covid-19, Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered on Friday the closure of bars and restaurants that sell alcohol when going up. the rate of new cases of the virus. The rate of new cases in the state is 2.8%.
Mayor Bill de Blasio threatens to close public schools, which serve 1.1 million students, if the rate of new cases in the city reaches 3% and stays that way for seven consecutive days.