Widespread closures in US caused by COVID-19 worry

Fears over the spread of novel coronavirus pneumonia caused an unprecedented shutdown across the United States on Thursday, with the Capitol and White House declared off limits to the public and the government's lagging efforts to counter the virus being questioned.

The US Congress decided to shut the Capitol to the public until April, one day after a staff member for a senator from Washington state tested positive for COVID-19. The White House also temporarily suspended public tours over concerns about the pandemic.

The novel coronavirus had caused more than 125,048 infections in over 120 countries across the world, including 4,613 deaths, as of Thursday.

While US President Donald Trump played down the threat from the outbreak for weeks, there were at least 1,663 cases reported around the US as of Thursday night, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, as the disease continued to spread.

On Capitol Hill, Republican Representative Mark Walker of North Carolina said there is "growing frustration among (congressional) members as a whole to get more definitive answers" from the administration about testing.

He said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "struggled to give a really strong answer" on why the US has not been able to duplicate testing used in places such as South Korea.

Concerns over the surge of infections forced cancellations, closures and postponements throughout sports, entertainment and education across the country on Thursday.

Major League Baseball suspended its season, joining the National Basketball Association. The National Hockey League announced that it would "pause" its season, calling it "no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time".

The Walt Disney Company announced on Thursday that theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Paris Resort will be closed through the end of the month, as of the close of business Sunday, to protect guests and employees. That came hours after the planned closure of Disneyland in California was announced.

In New York City, Broadway shows went dark on Thursday after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a ban on gatherings with more than 500 people starting at 5 pm.

The shows will remain closed at least until April 12, according to the Broadway League. Broadway national tours across the country also have canceled performances.

At least 200 US colleges and universities have announced that they were either canceling classes in favor of online education or suspending campus teaching altogether in response to the coronavirus.

The initial round of closures at first affected only schools in the earliest-hit states — Washington, California and New York — but have since affected institutions nationwide.

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday evening that she and the Trump administration were close to reaching an agreement on a coronavirus aid package to calm the nation as well as the financial market by providing sick pay, free testing and other resources. Announcement of a final deal was anticipated on Friday.

While asked by a reporter in the Oval Office on Thursday whether he was considering limits on travel inside the country to hard-hit states like Washington or California, Trump said that the subject hadn't yet been discussed, and then added: "Is it a possibility? Yes, if somebody gets a little bit out of control, if an area gets too hot." Trump also said that he was canceling or deferring several political events in the coming weeks.

In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in isolation for two weeks after his wife Sophie tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The outbreak has also prompted the province of Ontario to close schools to contain the spread.

Many Latin American nations, from Argentina to Peru to Costa Rica, were taking such steps as halting flights, banning public gatherings and closing schools.

Chen Yingqun in Beijing, Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at aiheping@chinadailyusa.com

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