White House says people leaving NY should self-quarantine as U.S. virus cases top 50,000
WASHINGTON, DC -- The novel coronavirus pandemic is spreading around the globe and in the United States, now resulting in more than 50,000 cases domestically and nearly 600 deaths.
Due to the spike in infections, the White House said Tuesday that people who have recently left the New York City metro area should self-quarantine for 14 days.
Deborah Birx, the woman in charge of the U.S. response, said at a White House briefing that people leaving the hardest hit area of the U.S. might not be sick, but could have been exposed to the virus. She advised people heading for Long Island, or Florida, North Carolina or other states to stay home for two weeks.
Birx said about 56% of the cases in the United States are coming out of the New York metro area.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is advising President Donald Trump on the pandemic, said about one per 1,000 people leaving New York are infected. He said that's eight to 10 times more than in other areas.
Meantime, Trump signaled that he's considering loosening virus social distancing guidelines amid the growing economic fallout, although public health officials warn that approach could quickly overload hospital systems and cost more lives.
