Pennsylvania shut down "non-life-sustaining businesses" tonight. There's a link there with a detailed list of what's in and out -- some oddities (beer distributors are life-sustaining, apparently), but mostly what you'd expect.
And California extended the stay-at-home order already in force in San Francisco to the entire state tonight. Even so, their governor thinks half the state will be infected in the next eight weeks. I haven't heard any projections for PA, but cases here have been following the usual curve so far.
siderea posted a summary of the Imperial College report that might be spurring the government to take this more seriously. (The report is linked.) They ran simulations of a few response scenarios, ranging from "basically do nothing" to fuller responses. Even with stronger responses, it's looking grim. And it's (at the national level) self-inflicted; we saw what was happening elsewhere and dallied anyway.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-20 10:43 am (UTC)Meanwhile, while testing is "ramping up", they're still saying it's just for people with obviously serious symptoms (or those exposed to a known case?). Which is all well and good, I suppose, but how does someone with mild symptoms who probably was on the subway with someone infected get tested?
Oh, well, be safe everyone!
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-20 01:33 pm (UTC)We need testing to be much more available than it is. I actually wonder if, at a certain point of severe symptoms, it'd be better to just *assume* that person has it (treatment's not going to change anyway) and instead test the people near that person.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-20 09:27 pm (UTC)yes, this.