‘Sobering’ decision for states
The governors of California, Oregon and Washington have issued travel advisories urging people entering or returning to their states to self-quarantine to slow the spread of the coronavirus, as infections spike across the United States.
‘‘California just surpassed a sobering threshold – one million Covid-19 cases – with no signs of the virus slowing down,’’ California Governor Gavin Newsom said yesterday.
The move, two weeks before Thanksgiving – traditionally the busiest travel period of the year in the US – coincides with warnings for people to rethink their holiday traditions, and not gather in large groups or beyond their immediate families in settings where the virus could easily spread.
Republican Governor Gary Herbert yesterday declared a state of emergency in Utah and ordered a statewide mask mandate, in an attempt to stem a record-breaking surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalisations that threaten to overwhelm hospitals.
Herbert, who has repeatedly resisted imposing a statewide lockdown, said that the time to debate masks had passed. Businesses that fail to comply will be subject to fines. However, some sheriffs have said they will refuse to enforce the order.
The Democratic governors of Oregon and New Mexico ordered near-lockdowns yesterday, even as many of their counterparts in other states show little appetite for reimposing the hardline restrictions of last northern spring.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced a two-week ‘‘freeze’’, which will limit restaurants and bars to takeout, and close gyms and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities. Businesses will be required to close their offices to the public and mandate working from home.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico is imposing a two-week stay-at-home order.
Meanwhile, more than 130 Secret Service officers have recently been ordered to isolate or quarantine because they
tested positive for the coronavirus or had close contact with infected co-workers, according to three people familiar with agency staffing.
The spread of the coronavirus – which has sidelined roughly 10 per cent of the agency’s core security team – is believed to be partly linked to a series of campaign rallies President Donald Trump held in the weeks before the election.
Growing numbers of prominent Trump campaign allies and White House officials have fallen ill in the wake of campaign events, where many
attendees did not wear masks. Among those infected are White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and political advisers Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie. At least eight staffers at the Republican National Committee also have the virus.
■ The regions of Italy that include the cities of Naples and Florence were declared coronavirus red zones yesterday, as Italian hospitals struggle with a surge of new admissions.
The director of the National Health Institute, Gianni Rezza, said there had been a ‘‘worrisome increase in hospitalisations’’, as confirmed cases hit a daily high of nearly 41,000 and 550 people died of the virus in 24 hours, bringing the country’s known death toll to 44,139.
The south of Italy largely was spared during the epidemic that exploded in the north during March and April. But the virus spread throughout the country during a relaxed summer when beaches, restaurants and nightclubs were packed.
Regions designated as red zones are subject to partial lockdowns under which only grocery stores, pharmacies, newsstands and other shops deemed necessities may remain open. Italy has five other redzone regions and autonomous provinces, including the virus epicentre, Lombardy.
All Australian states and territories except Western Australia have committed to reopening borders before Christmas, as the nation continues to squash coronavirus infection rates.
Premiers and chief ministers reaffirmed support for a reopening plan which aims to lift travel restrictions before the end of the year, at a national cabinet meeting on Friday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the exact timing would be up to individual jurisdictions.
New South Wales and Queensland are locked in an increasingly bitter standoff over borders. In contrast, South Australia is planning to open its border with Victoria on December 1 as more states look to restart travel.
Victoria has not recorded a case of coronavirus for two weeks.