Whole Foods during coronavirus
photo via @expat_life914

NYC should prepare for "shelter-in-place" order, Mayor De Blasio says

New York currently has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country, and as the pandemic continues to spread, officials are considering stricter measures to help stop it. In NYC, music venues, nightclubs and movie theaters have been shut down, while throughout the tri-state area (and beyond), restaurants, bars, and cafes are restricted to providing takeout and delivery service only (including alcohol to-go). Now NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio says residents should prepare for a “shelter-in-place” order to be declared in the next 48 hours,” The Associated Press reports. “I think New Yorkers should be prepared right now for the possibility of a shelter-in-place order,” he said at a Tuesday briefing. “It has not happened yet, but it’s definitely a possibility at this point.”

A similar order went into effect in San Francisco today, allowing residents to leave their homes only for food, medicine or exercise.

UPDATE: NY Gov. Cuomo, speaking to NY 1 Spectrum News, said that a shelter-in-place order for NYC cannot be enacted without state approval. “There is not going to be any quarantine,” he said. “No one is going to lock you in your home. No one is going to tell you you can’t leave the city. That’s not going to happen.”

Meanwhile, the deadline for paying any taxes you may owe has been delayed for 90 days due to COVID-19, from April 15 to July 15. The deadline to actually file your taxes has not been extended, however.