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- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced drastic measures to limit public gatherings in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.
- In a statement released Sunday night, de Blasio said he will sign an executive order stating that all restaurants, bars, and cafes in the city will be limited to food take-out and delivery.
- In addition, all nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert venues will be forced to close.
- The order will go into effect on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday night that all restaurants, bars, and cafes will be limited to food take-out and delivery only, and that all nightclubs and movie theater must close on Tuesday morning.
In a statement on Sunday, de Blasio said he will sign an executive order to limit public gatherings in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.
As of Sunday evening, the US has reported over 3,700 cases of coronavirus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19. The disease has also killed 69 people in the US and has spread to over 100 countries.
"Our lives are all changing in ways that were unimaginable just a week ago," de Blasio said. "The virus has spread rapidly through the close interactions New Yorkers have in restaurants, bars, and places where we sit together. We have to break the cycle."
As part of the executive order, all restaurants, bars, and cafes will be limited to food take-out and delivery. In addition, all nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert venues will be forced to close.
The order will go into effect on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
New York announced earlier on Sunday that it would be closing all public schools.
Several states have already called for bars and restaurants to close.
The order follows new guidelines set out by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommending that all gatherings and events of 50 people and more be postponed until May.
"Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities," the CDC said.