By Vandana Rambaran | Fox News
Lousiana and Ohio became the latest states Sunday to announce they would issue sweeping restrictions urging citizens to stay at home in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-La., said the “stay at home order,” which would go into effect Monday, was a necessary measure to “flatten the curve” and protect even more people from becoming infected with COVID-19, even as the number of cases statewide climbed to over 830 people with 20 deaths to date, according to state health officials.
“The bottom line is, we are in a race against time when it comes to this coronavirus and its rapid spread in Louisiana,” the governor said Sunday.
POLICE SHOW UP AT LOUISIANA CHURCH THAT WAS DEFYING CORONAVIRUS STATE ORDER
The restrictions — set to last at least until April 12 before it the governor reevaluates them — urged people not to leave their homes unless they needed to perform “essential” tasks such as grocery or food shopping, picking up medicine or going to work — and only if their jobs were deemed essential or could not be performed from home, Edwards said.
The governor added that outdoor activities were permissible but he reminded people to practice social distancing, staying six feet away from others.
In Ohio, state officials issued a similar order to take effect on Tuesday, as the state’s Department of Health confirmed 351 cases of coronavirus as of Sunday. During a news conference, officials also added that 83 people have been hospitalized and three people have died due to COVID-19 in that state.
“We haven’t faced an enemy like we are facing today in 102 years – we are at war. In the time of war, we must make sacrifices, and I thank all of our Ohio citizens for what they are doing and what they aren’t doing. You are making a huge difference, and this difference will save lives,” Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said.
Similar orders have taken effect across the country in places including Philadelphia, parts of Missouri, California, New York, New Jersey and Georgia, as states grappled with how to control the coronavirus pandemic.
Later Sunday, Delaware’s Gov. John Carney, D-Del., closed all non-essential businesses and issued a stay-at-home order set to take effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
