Congestion has eased in numerous cities across the United States, particularly in Los Angeles which is known for its notoriously heavy traffic.
Images taken on Monday show relatively quiet roadways and highways in Los Angeles just days after Gov Gavin Newsom ordered the majority of California’s 40 million residents to shelter in place.
Newsom’s order is an unprecedented but necessary one that officials hope will help curb the coronavirus spread.
Congestion has eased in numerous cities across the United States, particularly in Los Angeles (pictured on Monday) is known for its notoriously heavy traffic
Images taken on Monday show relatively quiet roadways and highways in Los Angeles just days after Gov Gavin Newsom ordered the majority of California’s 40 million residents to shelter in place
Newsom’s order is an unprecedented but necessary one that officials hope will help curb the coronavirus spread. This image shows the roadway to the Los Angeles International Airport on Monday
Normally congested freeways in California were truly free – of traffic – and city streets remained mostly empty in areas usually bustling with cars, bikes, scooters and commuters emerging from rail stations
The governor’s effort to combat the pandemic in the nation’s most populous state was by far the most sweeping and was followed Friday by similar announcements in New York and Illinois.
California is one of the hardest-hit states, with more than 1,800 confirmed cases and 36 deaths as of Monday afternoon.
In general, people seemed to be heeding state and local orders to stay home as much as possible. Normally congested freeways in California were truly free – of traffic – and city streets remained mostly empty in areas usually bustling with cars, bikes, scooters and commuters emerging from rail stations.
Yosemite National Park closed to visitors Friday, the latest of California’s top tourist destinations to do so.
Most retail businesses and virtually all schools were closed and those that could were having employees work from home.
Gas stations, supermarkets and convenience stores were open along with auto repair shops and those providing essential services, such as plumbers and electricians, were still on the job. But restaurants were only delivering or providing take-out.
At the same time, people were sweeping grocery store shelves bare despite government pleas that hoarding was unnecessary because there were no shortages. Toilet paper was universally in short supply.
Up to 500 members of the California National Guard were activated Saturday to help with humanitarian aid. Most of them are providing help in distributing food at food banks, whose volunteer base has declined during the crisis while the need for them has soared because many people are losing work.
Residents of Los Angeles appear to be adhering to the ‘Stay At Home’ order issued by Newsom to help prevent the spread of COVID-19
A normally bustling Los Angeles International Airport is seen with only a few cars dropping off and picking up passengers on Monday
This aerial image shows an area along the 405 and 101 freeway intersection on Monday
Highways in Los Angeles usually have bumper-to-bumper traffic on a daily basis unlike Monday’s eerily empty roadways
This image shows a small amount of traffic, but nothing in comparison to what Los Angeles normally has from day-to-day
However, stores and farmer markets were bustling, and many people took advantage of the beautiful spring weather and rushed to the outdoors.
At beaches and parks, not everyone heeded calls to practice social distancing, prompting Newsom to call them out.
‘Those young people are still out there on the beaches thinking it’s time to party. It’s time to grow up, time to wake up,’ he said at an evening news conference.
‘Time to recognize that it’s not just about the old folks, it’s about your impact on their lives. Don’t be selfish.’
Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer urged people to stay home and only go out for essential needs. Those who have been tested and come back negative shouldn´t have a false sense of security.
‘You can be negative today and positive tomorrow,’ she said. ‘Stay home as much as possible. You are safer at home.’
This image shows a few dozen cars along the usually busy intersection of the 405 and 101 freeways
Terminals at LAX were nearly deserted on Monday with only a handful of passengers waiting on their flights
Passengers are seen at the LAX airport wearing masks while checking on their flights on Monday
Newsom has said infection rates of the COVID-19 virus are doubling every four days in some areas and projected that 56 per cent of the state’s population – about 22 million people – could contract the virus in the next two months if aggressive prevention isn’t taken.
On Saturday, he ordered spending $42million in emergency funding to allow the state to lease two hospitals – Seton Medical Center in Daly City and St Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles – for three months to provide care for patients with COVID-19.
The emergency fund will also be used to buy or refurbish ventilators, provide more patient transportation service and expand testing capacity at a state laboratory.
California’s 416 hospitals have a combined 78,000 beds for patients, Newsom said, and the state was working to set up 10,000 additional beds by converting hotels and convention centers into quasi hospitals to meet the potential demand.
The Santa Clara Convention Center, for example, will accommodate 250 patients.
At beaches and parks, not everyone heeded calls to practice social distancing, prompting Newsom to call them out. Beachgoers are seen at Huntington Beach on Saturday
People were seen riding their bikes along a bike bath near the pier of Huntington Beach, California, on Saturday
Venice Beach Boardwalk (pictured) was officially closed Monday after widespread ignoring of social distancing over the weekend
Carter Kruse of the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles has a solitary workout on Venice Beach, Monday, in Los Angeles
Lemmon McMillan of Playa del Rey, California, has a racquetball court to himself on Venice Beach Boardwalk, on Monday
An Los Angeles Police Department patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk, Monday, in Los Angeles
Residents have been told to stay 6 feet away from others, not gather in groups and wash their hands frequently. They can go out to get food, fill prescriptions, seek medical care, care for vulnerable relatives or neighbors and get exercise, such as walking.
North of San Francisco, the Marin County Sheriff’s office shut down access to the Mount Tamalpais Watershed ‘due to the astronomical amount of people NOT practicing social distancing and home sheltering.’
Authorities there said there was back-to-back traffic to coastal attractions and parking lots to beaches were full.
Newsom said he expected social pressure – not policing – to help enforce his stay-at-home order. He said he doesn’t want to shut down parks or beaches, and that National Guard troops will only be deployed to help law enforcement ‘make sure all our logistics are operational.’
For most people, COVID-19 causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.
It can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, for some people, especially older adults and those with existing health problems. The vast majority of people recover.