Coronavirus

Coronavirus Updates: States agree to more coordination on stopping COVID-19

ByEyewtiness News WABC logo

Thursday, March 19, 2020

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Indoor portions of shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania must close by 8 p.m. Thursday, the states' four governors said.

"This is a fast-moving and quickly evolving public health emergency, and making these kinds of important decisions as a region makes more sense than a patchwork approach," Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said in a prepared release.

This is an expansion of the orders the three governors from the tri-state area issued Monday. That order - which Pennsylvania has also adopted - limits crowd capacity for social and recreational gatherings to 50 people. The governors also announced restaurants and bars would close for on premise service and move to take-out and delivery services only. The governors also temporarily closed movie theaters, gyms, and casinos.

"It is critical that we remain on the same page as our neighboring states, and so far we are the only region in the country partnering to create uniform, regional density reduction policies that prevent 'state shopping.' We will continue working together to update our regulations and guidance as the situation evolves while keeping a consistent standard across the region," Governor Cuomo said.