Coronavirus: New York declares state of emergency as contagion spreads

(SCMP) – Two more people succumbed to the novel coronavirus in Washington state, officials said, bringing the United States toll to 19, while the number of confirmed cases in New York rose to 89 and a cruise ship with infected passengers remained stranded outside San Francisco.

More than half of all US states have reported cases of the coronavirus, which originated in China last year and causes the sometimes deadly respiratory illness Covid-19. As the outbreak takes root, daily life has become increasingly disrupted, with concerts and conferences cancelled and universities telling students to stay home and take classes online.

Organisers of the Conservative Political Action Conference, a high-profile annual gathering that took place in Maryland last month, said on Saturday one of their attendees had tested positive for the virus after exposure prior to the event.

The person had no interactions with President Donald Trump or Vice-President Mike Pence, who were in attendance, the American Conservative Union said in a statement.

The two latest deaths were in Washington’s King County, the hardest hit area in the United States after the virus spread among residents at a nursing facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. The first deaths on the East Coast were announced late Friday, with two people succumbing in Florida.

In New York, the number of confirmed cases rose by 13 on Saturday to a statewide total of 89 people, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. He issued a declaration of emergency.

“It allows expedited purchasing and expedited hiring, which is what we need right now,” Cuomo told a news conference.

Kansas and Washington DC both announced their first cases.