‘Unbelievable how rapidly this crisis is growing’: New York City mulls ‘shelter in place’ as US coronavirus death toll tops 100

Covid-19 has infected more than 900 people in New York City, killing 10 in one of the country’s largest coronavirus hotspots, while city officials consider a ‘shelter in place’ order, and as fatalities in the US reach 108.

“The number’s gone up literally over a hundred cases in the course of the day. We’re at 923 cases at this hour tonight, 10 people who have passed away,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on MSNBC Tuesday evening, referring to the city alone.

It’s unbelievable how rapidly this crisis is growing right now.

Asked about the possibility for an emergency ‘shelter in place’ order for the sprawling metropolis, de Blasio said the move would have to be coordinated with the state government, but noted the idea “has to be considered now, it has to be done between, in our case, the city and state working together, respecting the state’s role.”

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was dismissive of the idea, however, telling CNN’s Jake Tapper “My job is to make sure that the state has a coordinated plan and it works everywhere. I don't think shelter in place really works for one locality.”

The wrangling over New York’s containment measures comes as fatalities nationwide soared to 108, with more than 6,300 cases across the country, largely clustered near coastal cities in New York, California, and Washington state. With West Virginia reporting its first case on Tuesday night, all 50 states have now observed the fast-traveling virus, which originated in China’s Hubei province and has since spread to more than 150 countries.

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