SALT LAKE CITY —
4:33 p.m. MST
UK prime minister orders people to stay home
Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered citizens of the United Kingdom to remain in their homes to stymie the spread of the novel coronavirus in an address Monday evening, the BBC reported.
“Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses,” Johnson said.
The order shuts down almost all social events, including weddings and baptisms, although funerals will be allowed. Public gathering places like libraries and places of worship have also been ordered closed, according to the BBC.
Police will be able to fine people who break the stay-at-home order.
Shopping for necessities, exercise and traveling for medical reasons or essential work are still allowed.
“We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to,” the prime minister said. Johnson referred to the coronavirus as “the biggest threat this country has faced in decades.”
2:45 p.m. MST
More than a dozen states have issued “stay-at-home” orders
As of Monday afternoon, at least 13 states had issued “stay-at-home” orders for their residents. Officials hope the orders prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Governors from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and West Virginia have each put their states on lockdown or have orders that will take effect early this week, CNN reported.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued a similar order Monday, reported Oregon Public Broadcasting. Oregonians caught violating the order could be punished with up to 30 days in jail and a fine of $1,250, according to OPB.
Each of the states had exceptions for essential services like health care and food service.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posted a list of can and can’t do activities on a Twitter thread on Monday. Michiganders who were not essential infrastructure employees were ordered to stay home, and the state’s residents were not allowed to participate in public gatherings. Outdoor activity like walking and biking were permitted, as was food take-out and going out for medications and groceries.
California was the first state to declare a lockdown on Thursday.
12:45 a.m. MST
Surgeon General tells Americans to stay home
Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said he never expected he would be on NBC’s “Today” show “for such a somber occasion” on Monday.
“I want America to understand this week it’s going to get bad and we really need to come together as a nation,” Adams said. He thought a lot of people were making good decisions to stay at home, but not enough believed they could get COVID-19.
“We really, really need everyone to stay at home,” Adams pleaded during an interview. The surgeon general said the threat of the coronavirus needs to be taken seriously.
The surgeon general made it clear that young people can be hospitalized and even die from the virus, and said, “most importantly, you can spread it to your loved ones.”
Cases climb past 350K globally, 15,400 death Monday morning
The novel coronavirus has now infected upwards of 367,400 people in 168 countries, Johns Hopkins University and Medicine reported Monday. The death toll has climbed over 16,100 globally and at least 100,000 people have recovered.
The United States, with 41,511 cases, is now the third highest country — behind China and Italy — in reported numbers of people that have tested positive for the virus. Just under 500 people have died because of the virus, with New York City (99) and King County, Washington, (75) suffering the highest toll.
In Utah, 181 people have been confirmed to have COVID-19 and the state’s first death was recorded on Sunday, according to the Utah Department of Health. A dozen are visitors to the state.
U.S. Army moves to ‘virtual’ recruiting during pandemic
The United States Army suspended all in-person recruiting, moving to “virtual” recruiting, according to The Associated Press. The suspension began at the end of last week and was intended to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
How long virtual recruiting lasts would depend on the duration of the coronavirus outbreak, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said Friday.
Navy and Marine Corp recruiters were abiding by state and local mandates and were taking additional precautions when interacting with recruits, but had remained open across the services. The Air Force had not responded to the AP at the time of publication.