Coronavirus takes hold in America, upending lives

Everyday life has been radically upended in the United States, with sports and entertainment events scrapped, schools closed and millions working from home as the coronavirus pandemic partially paralyzes the world’s number one power. As US lawmakers and Donald Trump’s administration sought to nail down a deal last Friday on a stimulus to fight economic havoc, Americans — until now spared mass disruption from the disease — began to adjust from a culture of hustle to life on pause. In the economic and cultural engine of New York the state’s governor restricted gatherings of more than 500 people, as iconic cultural institutions like Broadway went dim.

In California even small events were only to proceed if organisers could ensure six feet of space between participants, with gatherings of more than 250 people banned through the end of the month.

Governors nationwide took similar steps, with many declaring states of emergency and shuttering schools and campuses, as millions of students from primary age to university moved to virtual classrooms. Millions of office workers were also being asked to work from home in a bid to slow the spread of the virus, which has sickened more than 1,701 people in the United States, killing 40, and 133,970 worldwide with 4,958 deaths.

Coronavirus forced a slowdown just as the US election was heating up, with Democratic rivals Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders cancelling rallies and Louisiana becoming the first state to postpone its primary next month. Transportation remained open in New York but was down significantly: Local subway and train lines ridership had dipped as much as 48 per cent, the city’s transportation authority said. Anthony Fauci, infectious diseases director at the National Institutes of Health, said the disruptions to everyday life were the worst he has ever seen.

But he said it was made necessary particularly in light of the lack of testing — just over 13,000 people have been tested for the virus stateside — a system he told Congress was “failing’’. “Things are going to get worse before they get better,” he told CBS. “You don’t wait for testing to do the mitigation. You can do it right now’’.

Fans of America’s national pastime baseball stomached news that the 2020 season would be postponed, a day after the NBA stunned fans by announcing an indefinite suspension of the basketball season, the PGA Tour, Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League all followed suit. Alex Kane, a fervent New York Yankees backer, said the Major League Baseball news left him “bummed’’. “Baseball means spring and sunshine to me, and now I won’t have that,” the 31-year-old said.