Restaurants and bars shut down on Sunday due to the coronavirus. On Monday, a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew becomes effective. According to a Harvard University public health expert, "Hoboken probably is the model we all need to move towards now."
Updated to similar actions taken by governors and mayors across the country on Sunday.
Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla issued the tweet Saturday evening in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
We are continuing to do everything possible to advance social distancing. To protect health & safety of residents, our [Office of Emergency Management] has directed all bars & restaurants, w/ & w/o a liquor license, to allow for delivery & takeout of food only. OEM is also instituting a curfew from 10pm-5am.
“I think Hoboken probably is the model we all need to move towards now,” said Ashish Jha, M.D., MPH, Professor of Global Health at Harvard University, Dean for Global Strategy at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, during an interview with CNN's John King, host of Inside Politics, on Sunday morning.
“I can’t believe I ever would have said that, but here we are—Hoboken is our model.”
Hoboken may have been the first, according to Michelle Mark of Business Insider (source article), but several states and the nation's two most populous cities followed with similar actions, though without the curfew, by Sunday evening, reports Lindsay Schnell for USA TODAY.
In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said bars and restaurants can stay open for carry-out and delivery but "what we can't have is people congregating and seated."
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said all bars, wineries, brew pubs and nightclubs should close, and asked that those over 65 self-isolate. A few hours after Newsom's suggestion, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he was closing bars, restaurants, nightclubs and "entertainment venues," effective at midnight Sunday until at least March 31.
Illinois also shut down bars and restaurants to dine-in customers through March 30, a day after thousands gathered in downtown Chicago to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Gov. JB Pritzker said he made the decision after so many state residents ignored the advice of the Centers for Disease Control to "social distance" and self isolate, and instead went out Friday and Saturday.
In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker ordered all bars and restaurants close starting Tuesday, March 17, and remain closed for a month.
New York City took similar action late Sunday, ordering all nightclubs, theaters and concert venues to close by Tuesday morning, a dramatic step in the nation's most populous city. Restaurants and bars in the city will also be limited to serving only takeout and delivery customers, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced.
Several other states and cities were mentioned as well. The article ends with the note, "This is a developing story and will be updated."
Will the Coronavirus Spare Rural America?
Many counties throughout the nation have recorded no deaths from COVID-19. A perception exists that population density is responsible for the massive death toll in New York and New Jersey and that exurban and rural counties may be spared.
New York Outdoor Dining, Open Streets Programs Now Permanent
New York City will now be measurably less car-centric for the indefinite future.
Bars or Schools? Governors Need to Decide
In a frank assessment of the reopening choices confronting the nation's governors, Harvard's global health expert, Ashish Jha, asserts that the opening of bars and some other indoor businesses jeopardizes the opening of schools in the fall.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association