New York’s normally thriving Times Square that sees around 330,000 a day pass through it was left virtually empty as the city that never sleeps went into lockdown.
Businesses were shuttered as cafe, bars, restaurants and movie theaters closed from 8pm on Monday night as officials took strident steps to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Photos of one of the most famous tourist attractions in the Big Apple showed a relatively quiet scene with only a handful of people walking under Times Square’s bright lights.
Some revelers were seen grabbing one last drink while others were seen taking shots before venues closed ahead of the curfew.
New Yorkers, like many Americans across the country, have been told to hunker down in their homes and avoid large crowds and mass gatherings as much as possible as the number of confirmed cases in the US surged passed 4,600 with more than 80 deaths. Globally, there are more than 182,000 confirmed cases and more than 7,100 deaths.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the closure of New York City’s normally hectic bars and restaurants on Sunday evening. The restaurants are now restricted to take-out and delivery only as of 8pm Monday night.
Multiple states across the US also began shutting down their bars, restaurants, movie theaters and gyms as cities like New York and San Francisco turned into ghost towns.
A deserted Times Square on Monday as New York City ordered the shutting down of nightclubs, cinemas and theaters
Times Square, the iconic busy and crowded intersection in Manhattan where more than 300,000 people a day usually pass through. It is pictured (above) in October last year
One of the most famous tourist attractions in the Big Apple was quieter than usual with only a handful of people walking under Times Square’s bright lights on Monday
People gathered at Times Square as part of Valentine’s Day celebrations this year before the US was engulfed in the coronavirus crisis
Approximately 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily, many of them tourists. Pictured is the square on Monday with many less visitors
Fireworks and shredded paper during New Year celebrations at Times Square New Year celebrations on December 31, 2019
The city that never sleeps has been forced to shut down its bars, restaurants, movie theaters and gyms, including those in New York City’s iconic Times Square, in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus
A packed Times Square as revelers gather for New Year’s Eve celebrations to welcome in 2020 in New York
New Yorkers, like many Americans across the country, have been told to hunker down in their homes and avoid large crowds and mass gatherings as much as possible as the number of confirmed cases in the US surged passed 4,000 with more than 70 deaths. A few people are seen walking through Times Square on Monday afternoon
Times Square on March 13 before the lockdown was enforced. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the closure of New York City’s normally hectic bars and restaurants on Sunday evening
An empty Times Square outside dining area is seen on Monday afternoon as the city begins to lock down to combat coronavirus
The mayor said New York will close its bars and restaurants for ‘as long as necessary’ along with casinos, gyms and movie theaters as part of an effort with neighboring states Connecticut and New Jersey to stop the spread of coronavirus. Times Square was nearly empty on Monday
Movement was almost at a standstill in Times Square on Monday after officials announced a lockdown of bars and restaurants
Some people who were seen walking through Times Square on Monday wore medical masks
Mayor Bill de Blasio said late Sunday that New York City’s normally hectic bars and restaurants would be restricted to take-out and delivery only. This image shows several Times Square stores, that are usually bustling with people, nearly deserted
A woman walking through a lightly trafficked Times Square in New York on Monday as the city went into lockdown
The US has more than 4,600 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 80 deaths. West Virginia is the only state so far that hasn’t reported any cases of the disease
The mayor said New York will close its bars and restaurants for ‘as long as necessary’ along with casinos, gyms and movie theaters as part of an effort with neighboring states Connecticut and New Jersey to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Monday also marked the first day of school closures for New York City, which educates 1.1 million students. The closure will last until April 20.
Restaurants, pizzerias and even Starbucks stores started placing signs on the front of their doors to inform customers that they would only be open for ‘grab-and-go’ options.
Times Square’s subway station at 42nd Street was nearly empty during rush hour on Monday morning.
New Jersey has also launched a statewide ‘curfew’ between the hours of 8pm and 5am for all ‘non essential travel’ but it is unclear what that is or what will happen to anyone who does not follow the rules.
The state’s governor, Phil Murphy, has not confirmed whether people will be able to go to work between those hours or how he plans to enforce it, but is only saying that he ‘strongly discourages’ anyone from leaving home between those hours.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the shutdown in a tweet on Monday morning after urging President Donald Trump to shut down the country to fight coronavirus and said the current ‘patchwork quilt’ system of some states being more vigilant than others is not working.
The shutdown had been planned for Tuesday morning at 9am. But Cuomo sped it up on Monday, saying the tri-state decided to take matters into their own hands after a lack of action from the White House.
Before Monday’s curfew in New York City, some revelers were seen grabbing one last drink at local bars (pictured, patrons at McSorley’s Old Ale House)
Others were seen taking shots before venues closed Monday evening in other cities across the US. Customers were seen drinking during the last hours of operation at the Olympic Tavern in Rockford, Illinois
The ruby red bleacher-like steps in Times Square (pictured on Monday) usually attracts mostly tourists as the perfect viewpoint for the twinkling billboards and a prime selfie spot, but the area was nearly deserted on Monday
A pizzeria worker sits and stares out the window on Monday at what would be a normally very busy time following the outbreak of COVID-19, in Times Square
A sign is pictured in a Times Square Starbucks (pictured on Monday) after they announced their stores will be grab-and-go only following the outbreak of coronavirus disease
The Times Square subway station was nearly empty on Monday due to fears surrounding the coronavirus outbreak
A man walks through a nearly empty Times Square subway station (pictured on Monday) during the morning rush in New York
An MTA transit worker cleans a nearly empty Times Square subway station during the Monday morning rush in New York
A bar in the East Village on Monday shortly before last orders, New York, as bars and restaurants were closed
An Irish bar is closed and empty in Midtown, New York, as the city went into lockdown on Monday night
Goodnight Sonny Bar is closed in the East Village, New York, on Monday. Restaurants are still allowed to do take out and deliveries
Goodnight Sonny Bar is closed in the East Village, New York, on Monday
Bars and restaurants in the East Village and Lower East Side, New York, were closed as dictated by the state in order to try to contain coronavirus
A restaurant sitting closed in the East Village, New York, after a city-wide shutdown of social events and mass gatherings
Beer pumps were wrapped in clingfilm at a bar closed in the East Village, New York, after being made to shutter on Monday
In an interview on Good Morning America on Monday, Cuomo said it made no sense for him to take harsh action in New York but have neighboring states like New Jersey and Connecticut not, because people would simply migrate there to keep living their lives and potentially spread the virus.
‘This government has to get more engaged. There’s been no country that hasn’t handled this on a federalized level,’ Cuomo said.
‘This patchwork quilt of policies doesn’t work. It makes no sense for me to do something in New York and New Jersey to do something else.
‘I close the bars? They go to jersey. You need the specific rules. Every state cannot come up with its own rules, you’ll just have people going from state to state. You’ll go to New Jersey, Connecticut, wherever you can be served. That’s the last thing we want. Set the national standards and let’s live with them,’ he said.
Cuomo will relax liquor laws to allow people to order alcohol from their local bars and restaurants.
After Cuomo’s announcement, shift workers in bars and restaurants panicked and started asking how they would be able to pay their rent. But Cuomo said the rules would last for ‘as long as necessary’ to cope with the crisis.
In Maryland, the city-wide shutdown began at 5pm on Monday. It applies to restaurants, bars, gyms and movie theaters. There has been no firm answer yet on how to alleviate the financial burden of the crisis on individuals.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told DailyMail.com on Monday that the administration ‘might’ get behind new proposals to give cash to American households in the neighborhood of $1,000 each per month.
The Oculus at the World Trade Center in Manhattan was nearly empty on Monday as the city began its lockdown
Popular tourist destination, Brooklyn Bridge (pictured), was unusually quiet on Monday, which was a sunny day in the city
Some bars and restaurants shut their doors before the 8pm deadline on Monday. This image of Empellon bar and restaurant (pictured), which is located in the East Village in Manhattan, shows the inside of the restaurant after it closed on Monday
A shuttered Junior’s Restaurant & Bakery in Times Square on Monday. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations led to four states ordering bars and restaurants to effectively shut
Bars and restaurants in the East Village in Manhattan were forced to close on Monday in a bid to try to contain the coronavirus outbreak
‘Closed until further notice’ reads a sign outside of an establishment in the East Village in Manhattan on Monday
St Dymphna’s bar (pictured) shut its doors on Monday. The bar is located in Manhattan’s East Village
A man closes up as bars and restaurants in the East Village, New York, were forced to shut on Monday as dictated by the state
Bars and restaurants closed on the Hoboken’s busy street in New Jersey on Monday
A New Yorker is seen walking outside The Spotted Owl Tavern (pictured on Monday) after the establishment closed
Drinkers in Josie’s Bar in the East Village, New York, before being closed at 8pm as dictated by the state in order to try to contain the coronavirus outbreak
A closed restaurant in the East Village, New York, on Monday after being made to shut by the state in to contain coronavirus
The Austin Public bar in Queens, New York, didn’t bother opening on Monday ahead of the 8pm curfew mandated by the state’s officials
The popular Bronx hangout spot Bronx Alehouse located, closed its doors to customers as restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters and casinos were ordered to close by New York State
The Bronx Alehouse located at 216 W 238th Street in the Bronx on Monday. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters and casinos to close at 8pm to avoid the spread of coronavirus
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised officials across the United States to crack down on large gatherings of more than 50 people for at least eight weeks
In Hoboken, New Jersey, a 10pm curfew is in place but it remains unclear how it is being enforced and what happens to anyone who breaks it.
Despite Trump’s insistence that the pandemic was under ‘tremendous control’ over the weekend, health care experts are bracing for a tidal wave of patients.
There is grave concern over how the nation’s hospital system will cope with the onslaught of patients who will soon need care.
Over the weekend, experts predicted as many as 10 million people will need to be hospitalized because of the virus, but there are not even one million hospital beds in the country.
Cuomo has repeatedly requested the army corps of engineers to come to New York and start fitting out available buildings as hospitals, saying the ‘wave’ of the virus will ‘break’ on New York’s hospital system tomorrow if it they do not.
‘We have been behind this disease from day one. We saw it develop in China, we weren’t ready and we’ve been playing catch up ever since. You need to get ahead of this. It’s about the next war. The next war is going to be overwhelming our hospital systems,’Cuomo said.
Not only were restaurants and bars closed, but gyms were forced to shut down. The Outbreak Fitness center in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, closed by 8pm
New York City shut down at 8pm on Monday night. Restaurants, gyms, movie theaters closed their doors due to the virus
This Planet Fitness in Manhattan put signs of the closure on its door ahead of the 8pm curfew Monday night
A Crunch gym (left in the East Village) left a notice of closure sign (right) on the outside of the establishment before it closed Monday night
Theaters (pictured in Manhattan on Monday) across the city were forced to close their doors by the 8pm curfew as dictated by New York state officials
Movie theaters (a Queens theater pictured) also had to shut down on Monday beginning at 8pm
New York City shut down all of its movie theaters (theater pictured in Manhattan) and gyms at 8pm Monday night
Empire City Casino located at 810 Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New York, closed on Monday due to recent outbreak of COVID- 19
An empty Mexican restaurant in the East Village, New York, on Monday
A shuttered bars in the East Village and Lower East Side, New York, on Monday
A man with a face mask walking down an empty street while stores and restaurants are closed during a voluntary curfew due to the outbreak of coronavirus
Cuomo revealed that there are only 50,000 hospital beds in the entire state and only 3,000 of them are in intensive care units.
‘The only hope we have at this late date is retrofit existing facilities. Get some of the people from the hospitals into those new medical facilities and back fill the beds with coronavirus. States can’t build – it’s the Army Corps of Engineers. Let them come in today. Today. Time is short,’ he warned.
Other cities have implemented their own shutdowns but the federal government has yet to take a position on it.
Trump told Americans to ‘settle down’ on Sunday and warned them to stop stockpiling supplies, saying food stores would remain open no matter what happened.
However he is being widely criticized for his approach to the pandemic, which many say has been too slow from the beginning.
In Georgia, Gov Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency after the confirmed cases surged to 121.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms also declared a state of emergency within the city limits. She banned large public gatherings of more than 250 people until March 31.
Some New Yorkers ventured out before the curfew on Monday and had a drink in Josie’s Bar in the East Village in Manhattan
People were seen drinking and playing pool in Josie’s Bar in the East Village in Manhattan before Monday night’s curfew
Bartender Cassandra Paris takes a farewell shot at an early closing time at 169 Bar on Monday in New York
Patrons of O’Lunney’s Times Square (pictured) clinked their glasses together as they finished off the last of their drinks before closing time in New York City on Monday
This bar in the East Village of Manhattan made sure to close down by the 8pm curfew put in place by New York state officials
A restaurant in Manhattan sits empty before being closed on Monday evening as dictated by the state in order to try to contain the coronavirus outbreak
Bua bar after closing in the East Village, New York, on Monday. New Yorkers, like many Americans across the country, have been told to hunker down in their homes and avoid large crowds
Chairs were stacked up as restaurants and bars in Manhattan’s East Village closed down on Monday
A man eats a slice of pizza in Manhattan’s East Village before restaurants closed down on Monday night
Stools were stacked together as bar owners closed up shop ahead of Monday night’s curfew in Manhattan
A man sits in a pizza restaurant in the East Village in Manhattan before it was closed on Monday evening
A barman locks up the Double Down Saloon as bars and restaurants in Manhattan, New York, on Monday
A closed bar in the East Village, New York, on Monday night with stools stacked on tables after the shutdown at 8pm
In California, Gov Gavin Newsom urged the state’s 5.3 million people who are 65 and older and those with chronic health conditions to isolate at home.
He also called for all bars, wineries, nightclubs and brewpubs in California to close.
Officials in seven San Francisco Bay Area counties issued a sweeping shelter-in-place mandate Monday affecting about 7 million people, ordering residents to stay at home and go outside only for food, medicine and outings that are absolutely essential.
The order says residents must stay inside and venture out only for necessities for three weeks starting Tuesday in a desperate attempt by officials to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
‘I know today’s order is a radical step. It has to be. We need to act now, all of us, to protect the public health,’ said Dr Grant Colfax, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
It affects the counties of San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Alameda, which includes the cities of Berkeley and Oakland.
Meanwhile, photos from Atlanta showed similar nearly deserted scenes as the city comes to grips with the coronavirus pandemic
Battery Atlanta is usually an area known for its bustling shops, restaurants and bars (an empty bar pictured on Monday)
The Gio’s restaurant was shutdown in Battery Atlanta on Monday in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus
Georgia has more than 120 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, prompting Gov Brian Kemp to declare a state of emergency. This empty bar was photographed on Monday in Atlanta
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms declared a state of emergency within the city limits, banning large public gatherings of more than 250 people until March 31. This image shows another empty venue in Battery Atlanta on Monday
A woman walks with a protective mask near the East Village, New York, on Monday as the city went into lockdown
Atlanta’s school system will start closures this week. This image shows an empty Battery Atlanta that’s usually bustling with people
Daniel Thomas wipes down a soda dispenser at Devil Dawgs restaurant in Chicago as Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker ordered all restaurants and bars closed at the end of the business day
Motorists and pedestrians navigate through the Wicker Park neighborhood in Chicago on Monday evening
A man with a face mask walks an empty street after stores and restaurants closed during a voluntary curfew due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease in Union City, New Jersey, on Monday
This bar was closed down by 8pm on Monday in Hoboken, New Jersey. Bars and restaurants in the tri-state area all closed Monday evening
Several bars and restaurants in New Jersey followed the voluntary curfew from Gov Phil Murphy that began on Monday evening
Bars and restaurants closed on a busy Hoboken street in New Jersey, on Monday. New Jersey residents were told that they should not go out from 8pm to 5am by Gov Phil Murphy
‘History will not forgive us for waiting an hour more,’ said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, whose city is the most populous in the Bay Area and the epicenter of the area’s outbreak.
‘This is our generation’s great test, our moment to stand tougher as a community. Amid our collective fears, we will find our uncommon courage.’
In Southern California, Los Angeles and San Diego counties – the state’s two largest, with a combined 13.4 million people – ordered bars to close and restaurants to stay open only for pickup, drive-thru or delivery orders.
California’s national parks and state parks remained open, but many parks said they were shutting indoor spaces, including visitor centers and museums.
‘You can still walk your dog or go on a hike with another person, as long as you keep 6 feet between you,’ Colfax said.
He said officials from six counties met over the weekend and determined the unprecedented measures were necessary to slow the virus’ spread, shield those most vulnerable to the disease and protect health care workers who are on the front lines of fighting it.
Kevin Jones, general manager of Buena Vista Cafe, an iconic San Francisco restaurant that has been a draw for tourists since 1952 in the popular Fisherman’s Wharf, said the order is ‘going to hurt, but our duty is to protect our employees and our customers’.
The cafe was the only one open Monday in one of the city’s busiest tourist areas, and was almost full. He said he’s worried about its 58 employees being able to pay their rent. Cafe owners and managers decided any perishable foods would go to the workers.
Customers watch as bartender Darcy Parsons makes the signature Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe near Fisherman’s Wharf Monday before the city’s shelter-in-place mandate that will affect nearly 7 million people
Kevin Jones (right) manager of the Buena Vista Cafe, learns the news that Mayor London Breed is asking city residents to shelter-in-place because of coronavirus concerns on Monday in San Francisco
A closed sign was posted to the entrance of the Musée Mécanique penny arcade at Fisherman’s Wharf on Monday in San Francisco
A number of crab and seafood stands were closed at Fisherman’s Wharf on Monday in San Francisco
The main hallway of the Ferry Building Marketplace was mostly empty on Monday in San Francisco. Millions of California’s oldest and youngest residents stayed home Monday as officials took increasingly strident steps to separate people and contain the spread of the coronavirus
San Francisco bay area ordered ‘shelter in place’ amid the coronavirus outbreak. Bars, restaurants and cafes were ordered to close
The ‘shelter in place order’ instructed residents to stay at home and go outside only for food, medicine and outings that are absolutely essential
Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer said Monday: ‘This disease is a challenge unlike any we’ve experienced in our lifetimes.’
She issued a ban on dining in at restaurants and followed several other governors in closing bars, movie theaters and gyms.
‘Fighting it will cause significant but temporary changes to our daily lives. … This is about saving lives,’ Whitmer added.
Texas Gov Greg Abbott, a Republican, praised the federal government’s response as he took only limited action amid the outbreak.
Unlike other governors of heavily populated states, Abbott has not made explicit calls for limiting mass gatherings – instead leaving those decisions up to local officials.
‘This is not a time to panic,’ he said. ‘It’s not as if we have never been through this before. We’ve been through this many, many times.’
Some governors have been hesitant to use their powers too aggressively.
In Kansas, Democratic Gov Laura Kelly on Monday banned public gatherings of 50 or more people for the next two months, but stopped short of ordering any business closings.
Missouri Gov Mike Parson, a Republican, issued a statement saying he strongly urged the cancellation of public gatherings of 50 or more but did not ban them, even as local officials in the Kansas City and St Louis areas did so.
Parson also has refrained from ordering the statewide closure of any businesses, schools or colleges.
‘Local leaders know their communities best, and it is important that they have the flexibility to make decisions based on what they feel is most appropriate to protect their communities,’ Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones said.