Panic as Coronavirus Spreads in U.S. …Schools Move Online, New York Declares Emergency

Agency Reports/

As the number of Coronavirus infection jumped to 340 with 16 deaths in the United States (U.S.), travels are being cancelled, schools are shifting classes online, and New York City has declared a state of emergency.

NewsmakersNG learnt that Stanford University has temporarily shifted its classes online, the popular South by Southwest festival was abruptly cancelled, and Amtrak has announced plans to cancel its nonstop, high-speed train service between Washington D.C. and New York City for three months due to falling demand by anxious travellers.

According to USA Today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo today declared a state of emergency to deal with the worsening crisis, as the number of cases jumped to 11 in New York City and 76 statewide.

The number of cases in New York City was more than doubled in 24 hours, the governor said, in large part because of the heavy emphasis on testing potential patients.

“We are testing aggressively,” Cuomo said. “The more positives you find, the better.”

Reports also say that the deaths of two Florida residents from the new coronavirus mark the first fatalities outside of the West Coast, according to Florida health officials, as concern over the virus forces abrupt changes for college students, conference attendees and train travellers across the country.

Nationally, the number of infections has jumped to at least 340, according to a compilation by Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering. The cases are scattered over about half the states, with Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota and Nebraska recently reporting their first cases. At least 16 people have died from the virus.