New York City has turned into a ghost town with typically-packed subways cars left completely empty and tourist-filled hot spots like Times Square and Central Park eerily deserted.
On Friday, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency and ordered that $50billion in federal resources be allocated to combat the contagious outbreak that has impacted 49 states.
The Big Apple, usually buzzing with traffic and tourists, has transformed into an shockingly silent city as many workers have been ordered to work from home and some business have temporarily shut down.
The state reported that the number of coronavirus cases surged from 325 to 421 on Friday, with 154 of those cases in New York City.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency last week, closing down Broadway and banning gatherings of more than 500 people.
‘Going to this level is not done lightly, but it has reached the point where it is necessary,’ de Blasio said.
Trump Sends Room Into Roaring Laughter Responding to Kid Who Didn’t Want Coal for Christmas
Booker says Gabbard ‘endangering’ NJ with remarks on radical Islam, heavily-Muslim city; deputy responds
Kentucky congressman announces death of longtime aide and campaign manager
JonBenet Ramsey case could benefit from new DNA technology as police renew commitment
Unreliable: The Epstein Tipster Claiming Trump Was a Rapist Also Claimed a Man Fired by Hillary Clinton Tried to Frame Him for the 1995 OKC Bombing
Trump launches Christmas night airstrikes in Nigeria and more top headlines
Trump matches Biden’s first year of US attorney nominees despite high-profile setbacks
House lawmakers reflect on their memorable moments in Congress
Trump Announces Christmas Day Strikes on Islamic Terrorists Involved in Nigerian Christian Genocide
Nebraska grandfather killed in ‘freak accident’ at McDonald’s drive-thru
Ultra High Level Democrat Influencer Calls for Violence Against ‘Dead Man Walking’ Trump on Christmas Eve – Calls on People to ‘Put Him to Sleep’
Santa with CCW gets pulled over, tells Ohio deputy ‘you got to protect yourself’ during festive traffic stop
Nonprofit uses underwater technology to search for missing service members
Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: UN bigot out at Georgetown
Kim Jong Un swipes at South Korea’s progress building a nuclear submarine while inspecting his own
The subway system has seen a major plunge in riders. On Wednesday ridership fell by nearly 20 percent on subways and 15 percent on buses compared with a similar day last year.
Typically each day the subway system sees around 5.5million riders each weekday.
On Thursday ridership was down on the Long Island Rail Road by 31 percent and on the Metro-North Railroad, which travels through the northern suburbs of New York, was down 48 percent.
Ridership on the subway was down 18.5 percent, about 1 million riders, compared to March 2019, when the subways handled about 5.39 million.
New Yorkers have also gone into a panic over stocking up on food, toilet paper, and hand sanitizers as they prepare to bunker down as the government calls for ‘social distancing’.
Many businesses have shut down in light of the outbreak and to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
On Thursday Broadway went dark for at least a month following the restrictions on public gatherings, hitting the theater industry hard.
All 41 Broadway theaters have at least 500 seats, in fact most accommodate over 1,000.
Trump Sends Room Into Roaring Laughter Responding to Kid Who Didn’t Want Coal for Christmas
Booker says Gabbard ‘endangering’ NJ with remarks on radical Islam, heavily-Muslim city; deputy responds
Kentucky congressman announces death of longtime aide and campaign manager
JonBenet Ramsey case could benefit from new DNA technology as police renew commitment
Unreliable: The Epstein Tipster Claiming Trump Was a Rapist Also Claimed a Man Fired by Hillary Clinton Tried to Frame Him for the 1995 OKC Bombing
Trump launches Christmas night airstrikes in Nigeria and more top headlines
Trump matches Biden’s first year of US attorney nominees despite high-profile setbacks
House lawmakers reflect on their memorable moments in Congress
Trump Announces Christmas Day Strikes on Islamic Terrorists Involved in Nigerian Christian Genocide
Nebraska grandfather killed in ‘freak accident’ at McDonald’s drive-thru
Ultra High Level Democrat Influencer Calls for Violence Against ‘Dead Man Walking’ Trump on Christmas Eve – Calls on People to ‘Put Him to Sleep’
Santa with CCW gets pulled over, tells Ohio deputy ‘you got to protect yourself’ during festive traffic stop
Nonprofit uses underwater technology to search for missing service members
Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: UN bigot out at Georgetown
Kim Jong Un swipes at South Korea’s progress building a nuclear submarine while inspecting his own
New York landmarks such as the Metropolitan Museum, the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie hall also announced they would be suspending visits and performances.
While de Blasio has not ordered schools to close, as other states have, public-school attendance plummeted last week over coronavirus concerns.
The United Federation of Teachers and a dozen City Council members urged de Blasio to close school.
‘We understand the immense disruption this will create for our families,’ UFT President Michael Mulgrew said.
‘But right now, more than a million students and staff crisscross the city every day on their way to schools, putting themselves and others at risk of exposure and increasing the likelihood of bringing exposure into their homes and communities.’
There are 1.1 million students in New York City’s public schools, many of whom depend on the schools for free or reduced-price meals.
While the streets of New York seem empty, governor Andrew Cuomo warned that the state’s hospital system could be overwhelmed by coronavirus cases.
Story cited here.
