New York becomes the epicentre as the city shuts down
With coronavirus cases surging, a statewide 'pause' closed non-essential businesses and emptied the streets of the city that never sleeps.
New York City ground to a near halt this weekend as a statewide order shutting down non-essential businesses took effect, with the city rapidly emerging as the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
Under the "New York State on PAUSE" order, all non-essential workers were directed to stay home, gatherings were banned, and restaurants were limited to takeout and delivery. Broadway had already gone dark, schools had closed, and the normally teeming streets of Manhattan fell silent, with Times Square nearly deserted.
Cases were climbing at an alarming rate, and hospitals across the city braced for a wave of severely ill patients that threatened to overwhelm them. Officials warned of shortages of ventilators, protective equipment and beds, and began converting convention centres and erecting field hospitals to expand capacity.
Governor Cuomo delivered daily briefings that drew national audiences, pleading for federal help and urging residents to stay home to "flatten the curve". Mayor de Blasio warned that the worst was still to come.
For a city defined by its density, its crowds and its relentless energy, the shutdown was surreal and frightening. Millions settled into an uneasy isolation, the wail of ambulance sirens becoming the soundtrack of a metropolis holding its breath as it confronted the gravest crisis in generations.