United States: variously applied containment measures in the United States

A beach in Florida, one of the last states to introduce measures to fight coronavirus. April 02, 2020. Surfers ride waves despite a beach closure due to coronavirus di

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In the United States, the number of patients continues to increase exponentially; nearly 210,000 people tested positive for coronavirus, for 5,000 deaths. No more American state is spared, but containment measures are applied in a variable manner.

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From our correspondent in Washington, Anne Corpet

The majority of American states force their residents to stay at home, but some have been slow to do so: the governor of Florida, one of the five most affected states, which has many retirees, has not introduced this measure than this Wednesday. In nine states, precautionary measures are partial; they have been imposed by districts or cities. And five states have only banned rallies and closed schools.

No federal order was issued; even in a national emergency, the power to impose containment of the population rests with the states. The president could urge local authorities to act firmly, but Donald Trump has so far refused to do so.

Fight also against cartels

The American president, however, launched a military operation against the drug cartels on Wednesday. Donald Trump arrived at the daily press point devoted to the coronavirus surrounded not by a doctor but by generals, escorted by the secretary of defense. He announced that warships will be deployed east of the Pacific and in the Caribbean Sea to combat drug trafficking.

“We're at war with COVID-19, we're at war with terrorists, and we are at war with the drug cartels. . . We're the United States military and we will defend our country. "—General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs pic.twitter.com/hHDPBcgf6b

The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 1, 2020

Donald Trump explained that the cartels were trying to take advantage of the situation created by the pandemic to come and kill the Americans with their drugs. Meanwhile, the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus again broke a record this Wednesday in the United States with 884 deaths in the United States in one day.

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  • United States
  • Coronavirus
  • Containment