California Governor Asks Wineries to Close Tasting Rooms as Coronavirus Spreads
France and Spain Shut Down
Across the United States and Western Europe this past weekend, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to grow, spurring leaders to impose new restrictions to attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Less than a week after Italy's government shut down almost all schools and businesses, asking citizens to self-quarantine, France and Spain followed suit.
In the U.S., President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, and state and local leaders took aggressive steps to prevent large gatherings that could spread the disease. On March 15, California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked restaurants to trim occupancy by 50 percent and requested that bars and winery tasting rooms and event spaces close their doors for now. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would order all bars to close and restaurants to limit business to takeout and delivery, and Washington's governor followed suit shortly afterwards, annoucing he would order restaurants, bars and entertainment and recreational facilities to close as well.
As of March 16, there were more than 174,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, including 24,747 in Italy, 9,407 in Spain, 5,397 in France and 3,813 in the U.S. There have been 6,705 confirmed deaths.
France's government ordered most businesses to close March 14. Groceries, pharmacies and gas stations were exempted; restaurants and bars were not. Officials had asked people to stay indoors a few days earlier, but warm weather brought thousands to Paris parks on Saturday. "We are just at the beginning of this crisis," French President Emmanuel Macron said in an address to the nation. "In spite of all our efforts to break it, this virus is continuing to propagate and to accelerate."
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