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| Coronavirus: California issues 'stay at home' order amid virus | Coronavirus: California issues 'stay at home' order amid virus |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| California has issued a "stay at home" order to residents as it tries to stem the march of the coronavirus across the most populous US state. | California has issued a "stay at home" order to residents as it tries to stem the march of the coronavirus across the most populous US state. |
| Governor Gavin Newsom told Californians they should only leave their homes when necessary during the pandemic. | Governor Gavin Newsom told Californians they should only leave their homes when necessary during the pandemic. |
| He earlier estimated more than half of the 40 million people in his state would contract Covid-19 in just the next two months. | He earlier estimated more than half of the 40 million people in his state would contract Covid-19 in just the next two months. |
| The virus has so far claimed 200 lives in the US and infected 13,678 people. | The virus has so far claimed 200 lives in the US and infected 13,678 people. |
| Governor Newsom said: "This is a moment we need to make tough decisions. We need to recognise reality." | Governor Newsom said: "This is a moment we need to make tough decisions. We need to recognise reality." |
| His order will allow residents to leave their homes to buy groceries or medicine, or walk a dog or take exercise, but seeks to limit public interactions. | His order will allow residents to leave their homes to buy groceries or medicine, or walk a dog or take exercise, but seeks to limit public interactions. |
| About half of the state's population are already subject to similar stringent measures, including the city of San Francisco. | About half of the state's population are already subject to similar stringent measures, including the city of San Francisco. |
| The Democratic governor said parts of the state were seeing infection rates double every four days. | |
| He issued a dire prediction in a letter to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, appealing for urgent federal help. | |
| "We project that roughly 56 percent of our population - 25.5 million people - will be infected with the virus over an eight week period," Governor Newsom wrote. | |
| So far, California has recorded fewer than 1,000 cases of the virus and 19 deaths, according to the Los Angeles Times. | |
| The order will force businesses deemed non-essential to close, while allowing others including grocery stores, pharmacies, banks and petrol stations to stay open. | |
| Along with New York and Washington, California is among the US states worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. | |
| On Thursday alone, New York City's recorded caseload of Covid-19 more than doubled to 3,954 - greater than the confirmed number of coronavirus patients in the whole of the UK. | |
| Mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN the most populous city in the US would run out of medical supplies within three weeks if the "explosion" of infections continued at such a rate. | |
| He implored the federal government to help New York obtain 15,000 ventilators, three million respirator masks, 50 million surgical masks and 45 million gowns, gloves and coveralls. | |
| The mayor said the virus had so far claimed the lives of 26 people in the city. |