While experts have been saying that winter would present a unique challenge in controlling the spread of novel coronavirus, they now say that action is necessary to keep figures under control. “This is not inevitable,” Leana Wen, MD, an emergency medicine physician, told CNN. “We actually have a narrow window of opportunity right now to stop the explosive spread that is coming. But we have this window to take action now.” In an effort to keep their hospitals from being overwhelmed by a wave of new patients, certain cities have begun enacting new rules and regulations to protect their citizens. Read on for the four major cities that are showing signs of locking down once again, and for action you personally could be taking right now, load up on your supplement because Lacking This Vitamin Is Putting You at Severe COVID Risk, Study Says. A week after Gov. Phil Murphy issued a plea for citizens “not to travel,” New Jersey’s largest city began taking new steps to curtail the spread of the virus. During a press conference on Oct. 26, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka ordered that all non-essential businesses must close by 8 p.m. beginning the following day, also ordering nail and hair salons to be open by appointment only. Gyms and fitness centers must also now close 30 minutes every hour to allow for thorough cleaning. The new mandates come as the city is seeing a spike in positive test results that have reached a seven-day average of 25.3 percent in the worst-hit parts of town. And if you’re in a surging area and worried about your symptoms, know that This Is How to Know If Your Stuffy Nose Could Be COVID. The Lone Star State is experiencing another surge of coronavirus cases, with the city of El Paso serving as the host of one of the worst outbreaks in Texas. On Oct. 25, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego issued a two-week stay-at-home order for all citizens that instates a daily curfew for the public from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Violators can be fined up to $500 for breaking the rules. The new mandate comes as local hospitals have been overwhelmed by new cases, with Gov. Greg Abbott ordering 50 additional hospital beds be set up in a local convention center to help cope with the surge. With a positive uptick in cases in every county of Illinois, the Windy City is taking measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. On Oct. 22, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that all bars would be closed for indoor service starting the following day, ordering restaurants to stop serving alcohol by 9 p.m. and to close by 10 p.m. The new order also mandated that any bars, taverns, or breweries that don’t hold a Retail Food Establishment License must close until further notice. Officials also warned that if the positive test rate rises above eight percent for three consecutive days, indoor dining would also be shut down. And for more COVID updates and information, sign up for our daily newsletter. New Mexico is currently home to one of the most drastic rises in coronavirus surges in the nation, reporting a 103 percent increase over the past two weeks, according to The New York Times. To combat this, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered that Albuquerque and all other areas across the state must reduce their maximum hotel occupancy rates, gatherings of more than five people are prohibited, and all bars and restaurants serving alcohol must close by 10 p.m. every night. Grisham also warned that if figures don’t improve, limits on occupancy at stores and restaurants could be “significantly rolled back.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “When the community spread of the virus becomes uncontrollable—and we are fast approaching that point—our only option is to simply shut down those opportunities for the virus,” Grisham said in a statement on Oct. 13. And for the precautions you should be taking every day, know that The CDC Now Says You Can Catch COVID From Someone in Exactly This Long.
