Covid-19 outbreak hit the agenda of the USA in 2020
Despite various year-long political turmoil in the USA, the presidential elections on November 3, and the racism debates that broke out after the death of black George Floyd, the country’s main agenda in 2020 was the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic that affected the whole world. determined.
According to Worldometers, which compiled data on the epidemic, with a total of nearly 20 million Covid-19 cases and more than 340 thousand deaths caused by the virus, the USA ranked “first in the list of countries most affected by the pandemic in the world”.
Discussions about how the USA, one of the most developed countries in the world, became the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak and its economic implications for both the health system and the economic repercussions lasted for months.
First Covid-19 case appeared in Washington on January 21
While the Covid-19 virus was first seen in the USA on January 21, the American living in Washington state and having a positive test on his return from the city of Wuhan was the first case in the country.
At the press conference on January 22, US President Donald Trump made an assessment about the Covid-19 virus for the first time and said, “Everything is under our control. Only 1 person from China was infected. Everything will be fine.” had used the expression.
China, on January 23, quarantined Wuhan and its surroundings, where approximately 18 million people live, with the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.
By the end of January, the number of deaths worldwide exceeded 200 and the number of cases exceeded 9,800. WHO has declared a “global emergency” for Covid-19 on public health.
The USA restricted the travels from the Hubei region of China on February 2, while refusing to enter the country of foreign citizens, it also imposed a 2-week home quarantine requirement for US citizens returning to the country.
On February 3, the Trump administration declared a “public health emergency” due to the epidemic. The “Coronavirus Task Force” was created to combat the Covid-19 outbreak.
However, “The virus will miraculously disappear as the weather gets warmer in April,” Trump told Fox News on February 10. His words as follows were spoken in public for a long time.
The first Covid-19 related death was seen at the end of February
On February 29, the first death from Covid-19 occurred at the Evergreen Health Center in Washington, USA.
On March 6, the Covid-19 test of 21 passengers on the Kruz ship, which carried 3,500 people in California, raised the epidemic concern in the country to a new dimension. The ship was kept off California for days and not approached to the harbor.
On March 11, WHO declared the outbreak as a “pandemic” on a global scale. Trump, on March 13, declared a “national emergency” in the country, mobilizing federal resources to prevent the spread of the virus, and on the same day, he imposed a “travel ban” to 26 European countries except Britain and Ireland.
According to the data of the Covid Tracking Project (Covid Tracking Project), which follows daily data in the USA, when the dates show March 16, the total loss of life related to Covid in the USA exceeded 100, and the number of cases approached 7 thousand 400.
California, the starting point of the epidemic in the USA, became the first state in the country to close its economy on March 19 with the “stay at home” order for citizens other than basic services.
New York has become the “Wuhan” of the USA
The first case of Covid-19 in New York appeared on March 1, in a healthcare worker living in Manhattan. The woman, whose test was positive 5 days after returning from Iran, which she visited on February 25, was quarantined at home.
When the number of cases increased to 11 on March 4 and 89 on March 7, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared “emergency”.
As the number of cases increased rapidly, the City of New York had to warn patients to stay away from public transport and people not to interfere with crowds if possible.
It was seen that people flocked to shopping areas with panic caused by the fear of epidemics, crushed each other for water and food stock, especially toilet paper, and shelves were empty in the markets. Face mask and hygiene supplies were sold out in a short time.
Within a week, schools in New York were closed, education on the internet was started, Broadway shows, musicals, sports competitions were canceled or postponed, museums were closed.
Attractions in New York transformed into “mobile hospital”
By the middle of March, hospitals started to fill up in New York. The White House announced that it will send the Navy 1000-bed USNS Comfort Hospital Ship to New York for assistance.
By March 23, 10 days after the first death, the number of deaths reached 157 and the number of cases reached 21 thousand across the state, 125 of which were in New York City.
The date of March 27 was a turning point for the USA, leaving the USA, China and Italy behind in the new type of coronavirus epidemic, it became “first in the world ranking”.
On the same date, the US Senate passed the $ 2 trillion Covid-19 aid package for hospitals, small businesses, local and state governments, and the next day, it was approved in the House of Representatives and signed by Trump and entered into force.
Take in New York’s most prestigious international fair at the end of March
