Gov. Hogan pushes back Maryland primary amid coronavirus outbreak

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announces the postponement of the state’s April 28 primary to June 2 during a news conference on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 in Annapolis, Md. Hogan said a special general election for the congressional seat left vacant by the death of Elijah Cummings in October will proceed on April 28 in a vote-by-mail election. Deputy Health Secretary Fran Phillips is standing left. Dennis Schrader, the chief operating officer and Medicaid director for the state’s health department is standing right. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

Gov. Larry Hogan has postponed the date of Maryland’s presidential and congressional primary election, saying holding it as scheduled would “endanger public health” amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

The primary, set for April 28, has been pushed back to June 2, Hogan said.

“I have two main priorities: keeping Marylanders safe and protecting their constitutional right to vote,” Hogan said at a news conference Tuesday.

Hogan said holding the primary election as scheduled would mean voters potentially crowding polling places in schools and senior centers — which have already been ordered closed to slow the spread of the virus.


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As part of the pushback on the primary date, Hogan said he is directing the State Board of Elections to develop a “comprehensive plan” by April 3 to conduct the rescheduled primary “in a way that protects public health and preserves the integrity of the democratic process in our state.”

For Maryland’s 7th Congressional district seat, which was vacated by the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings, Hogan said the special election also scheduled for April 28 will go forward — but via a vote-by-mail system.

“It is imperative that the people of the 7th Congressional district have a voice in the House of Representatives, and that Maryland has a full delegation representing our state and Congress,” Hogan said.

The 7th District includes parts of Baltimore City as well as Baltimore and Howard counties. In a statement, the State Board of Elections said it will mail absentee ballots to all voters eligible to vote in the special election. Ballots will be sent later this month.

Hogan said the State Board of Elections determined it wasn’t feasible to roll out vote-by-mail for the entire state by April 28.

But it was necessary do so for the 7th District, because “we didn’t want to have people without representation for that long in that district,” Hogan said.

He added: “This is a trial basis — never been done before.”

Hogan’s announcement Tuesday comes a day after he issued a series of orders to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. Restaurants, bars, movie theaters and gyms across Maryland closed indefinitely starting 5 p.m. Monday. Earlier, Hogan declared a state of emergency, banned large gatherings, closed casinos and race tracks, and activated the National Guard.

Overall, more than 50 people in Maryland have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Fears over the outbreak are coinciding with the 2020 presidential primary. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine fought a court challenge Monday to delay voting in Ohio’s primary, which was set for Tuesday.

Other steps announced

Hogan also announced a series of other steps Tuesday to fight the spread of the disease.

Following the chaotic scenes at international airports over the weekend, where travelers returning to the U.S. from Europe were kept in close confines as they awaited screening, Hogan said BWI Marshall Airport would be rolling out social distancing efforts to keep travelers separated.

Among those steps: The airport would be eliminating check-in lines and changing its hours of operation to allow for deeper cleaning of the terminal.

Maryland is also reducing hours at Motor Vehicles Administration locations and suspending all driver’s license tests, except for commercial licenses.

Hogan said he is also calling on the Trump administration to push back the deadline for federal REAL ID compliance. The current REAL ID deadline is in October.

Maryland also plans to repurpose its vehicle emission inspection locations — which have all been ordered closed — into drive-through coronavirus testing centers across the state.

Jack Moore

Jack Moore joined WTOP.com as a digital writer/editor in July 2016. Previous to his current role, he covered federal government management and technology as the news editor at Nextgov.com, part of Government Executive Media Group.

People wearing face masks line up to buy supplies from a shop during the coronavirus outbreak in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 4, 2020.
Residents take part in an aerobics class led by city police instructing from the street below during a lockdown ordered by the government in an effort to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2020.
A goat walks past a closed stored near Trinity Square in Llandudno, north Wales, Tuesday March 31, 2020. A group of goats have been spotted walking around the deserted streets of the seaside town during the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus.
A man wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, cycles on the street in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, April 2, 2020.
Cars drive on the A8 motorway near Kirchheim Unter Treck, Germany, Saturday, April 4, 2020.
Customers keep distances between each other to avoid a infection with the coronavirus as they visit the market on the cathedral square in Mainz, Germany, April 4, 2020.
In this March 16, 2020 file photo, a woman walks through a lightly trafficked Times Square in New York City.
Coffins with the bodies of victims of coronavirus are stored waiting for burial or cremation at the Collserola morgue in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, April 2, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
A man, wearing a face mask and gloves to protect against the new coronavirus, carries his shopping as he walks past closed shops at the Tajrish traditional bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, Saturday, April 4, 2020.
People from an apartment complex board an ambulance to be taken to a hospital for quarantine after a contact was found to be COVID-19 positive, in Gauhati, India, Saturday, April 4, 2020.
A giant television over the A57 Motorway screen urges people to stay home on March 26, 2020 in Manchester, England.
The Ministry of Antiquities lights up the pyramids in an expression of support for health workers battling the coronavirus outbreak, Monday, March 30, 2020, in Giza, Egypt.
Subway riders wear protective masks and gloves on a sparsely populated car during morning hours due to COVID-19 concerns that are driving down ridership, Thursday, March 19, 2020, in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tightened work-from-home rules Thursday as confirmed cases continued to climb in New York, an expected jump as testing becomes more widespread. But he stressed that roadblocks and martial law for New York City were merely rumors.
Subway riders wear protective masks and gloves on a sparsely populated car during morning hours due to COVID-19 concerns that are driving down ridership, Thursday, March 19, 2020, in New York. New York Gov. (AP/John Minchillo)
A couple walks along a usually busy Fremont Street after casinos were ordered to shut down due to the coronavirus  outbreak, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Las Vegas.
A couple walks along a usually busy Fremont Street after casinos were ordered to shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP/John Locher)
A woman rests on the balcony of a building as people stay in their houses to prevent the spread of coronavirus,, in Vitoria, northern Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2020. Spain will mobilize 200 billion euros or the equivalent to one fifth of the country's annual output in loans, credit guarantees and subsidies for workers and vulnerable citizens, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Tuesday. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some, it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems.
A woman rests on the balcony of a building as people stay in their houses to prevent the spread of coronavirus,, in Vitoria, northern Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2020. (AP/Alvaro Barrientos)
A masked couple walks on the empty Trocadero next to the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron said that starting on Tuesday, people would be allowed to leave the place they live only for necessary activities such as shopping for food, going to work or taking a walk. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness.
Chef José Andres talks to journalists about why he is converting Zaytinya into a grab-and-go meal restaurant in response to the novel coronavirus on March 17, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Andres will convert all his D.C. restaurants into “community kitchens” in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)
Workers use a tape measure to mark spaces 6 feet apart for people to wait in line safely as they convert the outdoor plaza in front of chef José Andres’ Zaytinya into a grab-and-go meal restaurant in response to the novel coronavirus March 17, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)
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An elderly woman enters a novel coronavirus testing booth outside the Yangji hospital in Seoul on March 17, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/ED JONES)
A deserted view of Safdarjung Tomb, closed for tourists to prevent spread of COVID-19 on March 17, 2020 in New Delhi, India. (Getty Images/Yawar Nazir)
A worker of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) measures a passenger’s temperature at a control point at the Bole International Airport, in Addis Ababa, on March 17, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/EDUARDO SOTERAS)
A man walks past closed shops at Marrakesh’s Jamaa el-Fna square on March 16, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/FADEL SENNA)
The Don Afonso Henriques garden or Alameda garden in the city of Lisbon is shown to be solitary on March 17, 2020, due to the voluntary confinement of many of the citizens and tourists. (NurPhoto via Getty Images/NurPhoto)
A newspaper headline warns of the potential of further measures to attempt to fight the coronavirus pandemic on March 17, 2020 in London, England. (Getty Images/Leon Neal)
A scene of ‘Rue de l’Ile’ on March 17, 2020 in Annecy, France. (Getty Images/Richard Bord)
A woman wearing the mask walks past a restaurant as its employee looks at her through the locked glass door, in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 17, 2020. (NurPhoto via Getty Images/NurPhoto)
People walk in Union Station in Washington, Monday, March 16, 2020. The U.S. surgeon general says the number of coronavirus cases in the United States has reached the level that Italy recorded two weeks ago. It’s a sign that infections are expected to rise in America as the government steps up testing and financial markets continue to fall.
Union Station, a major transportation hub in the nation’s capital, is nearly empty during morning rush hour as many government and private sector workers stay home during the coronavirus outbreak, in Washington, Monday, March 16, 2020.
Washington Union Station, a major transportation hub in the nation’s capital, is nearly empty during morning rush hour as many government and private sector workers stay home during the coronavirus outbreak, in Washington, Monday, March 16, 2020.
Palestinian volunteers spray disinfectant down a street at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on March 16, 2020, during a campaign by Hamas to stem a novel coronavirus outbreak. (NurPhoto via Getty Images/NurPhoto)
Workers look on at Laurel Park Race Track in an event that allowed no spectators Saturday, March 14, 2020, in Laurel, Md. (AP/Terrance Williams)
Local resident Adrian W. Chan, who works as a banker, walks on his way to find face masks for his parents in Vancouver as a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus, in Hong Kong on March 17, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/ANTHONY WALLACE)
Laurie Kuypers, a registered nurse, reaches into a car to take a nasopharyngeal swab from a patient at a drive-through COVID-19 coronavirus testing station for University of Washington Medicine patients Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Seattle. (AP/Elaine Thompson)
Medical assistant Miriam Fuentes gives a patient instructions via sign at a drive-through COVID-19 coronavirus testing station for University of Washington Medicine patients Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Seattle. (AP/Elaine Thompson)
A man pushes a stroller along the National Mall, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
A sign announces the closure of the National Gallery of Art on the National Mall, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
The Dome of the U.S. Capitol is visible as a tour group of only two people on Segways, usually in a much bigger group this time of year, moves along the National Mall, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
Deanna Butts reaches for one of the last packages of toilet paper at Target in the Tenleytown area of Washington, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)
Associated Press journalist Kevin Freking has his temperature checked before a coronavirus task force briefing, at the White House, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)
A downtown Bethesda, Md., restaurant is closed as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order takes effect, closing bars, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters across the state in response to coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
A downtown Bethesda, Md., restaurant is closed as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order takes effect, closing bars, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters across the state in response to coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Michaella Pratt and her children Preston Pratt, 6, Aubrey Pratt, 4, from Arlington, Va., use their time with school closing because of the coronavirus outbreak, to visit the near-empty Tidal Basin in Washington, Monday, March 16, 2020. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Rhonda Lassen, right, visiting Washington from LeMars, Iowa, walks with her grandchildren Claire and Harper Rueter, center, from Virginia, along a path at an almost empty Tidal Basin lined with cherry blossom that are about to peak, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Washington. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
A security officer wearing a face mask as a precautionary measure against the spread of the new coronavirus checks the temperature of a government employee at the entrance of La Moneda Presidential Palace in Santiago on March 17, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/MARTIN BERNETTI)
A woman wearing a mask walks through a terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Arlington, Va. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
Customers Tim Beinz and John Kuentz walk into a restaurant Monday March 16, 2020, in Richmond, Va. The two are part of a construction crew from out of town that is working in the area and hopes that restaurants will not close. (AP/Steve Helber)
Obadah Hijazi, right, and his wife Wesam Albasha, right, try to decide where to get lunch during a visit to Annapolis, Monday, March 16, 2020. (AP/Susan Walsh)
A passenger arriving from Brussels wearing a mask to protect himself from the new coronavirus looks for his relatives in the international arrivals zone at Dulles airport, outside Washington, on March 13 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/ERIC BARADAT)
Cafe’s and shops are empty of pedestrians in the historic center of Antwerp, Belgium, Saturday, March 14, 2020. Belgium has closed schools, restaurants and bars, as as well as cancelled sporting and cultural events in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
Pharmacist Evelyn Kim, wears a mask and gloves at the CVS pharmacy at Target in the Tenleytown area of Washington, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. As they remain open, she is wearing a mask and gloves to combat the coronavirus outbreak. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)
Clay Colehouse of Crownsville, Md., second from left, gives the dog Marty a treat as he and his friends, from left, Erin Carroll of Severna Park, Md., Jessica Goblin of Severna Park, Md., Travis Victorio of Millersville, Md., and Mary Fitzell of Millersville, Md., have lunch during a visit to Annapolis, Monday, March 16, 2020.
Anne Arundel County residents receive free breakfast, lunch and dinner, at a mobile stop in Annapolis, Monday, March 16, 2020. Anne Arundel County is providing free meals for students while schools are closed for two weeks due to coronavirus concerns. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan closed all public schools in the state from March 16 to March 27.
A downtown Bethesda, Md. restaurant is closed as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order takes effect, closing bars, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters across the state in response to coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020.
The Lincoln Memorial is lightly visited on the National Mall, Friday, March 13, 2020, in Washington. The National Mall, usually busy with tourists, remains lightly visited amid concerns over the coronavirus. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
A video display with a message from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reads “Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands” on the Gallery Place Metro subway train platform in Washington, Friday, March 13, 2020, to inform commuters on how to combat the coronavirus outbreak. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)
There are no visitors touring the Capitol Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 13, 2020, which has been closed to tourists because of the coronavirus. (AP/Susan Walsh)
Carroll Rodgers of Washington, cleans steps in the Capitol Visitor Center on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 13, 2020. Because the Capitol Visitor Center is closed, employees are able to do their regular cleaning later in the day instead of only in the very early hours of the days before tourists come through. (AP/Susan Walsh)
The Capitol Visitor Center is empty early Friday, March 13, 2020, in Washington, after the Capitol was shut down to tourists. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
Peru’s Alianza Lima and Argentina’s Racing Club play a Copa Libertadores soccer match at the Presidente Peron stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, March 12, 2020. The match was played in an empty, closed door stadium as part of the government’s measures to contain transmission of the new coronavirus. For most people the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness including pneumonia. (AP/Gustavo Garello)
Pakistani cricket teams practice in an empty National Stadium, ahead of their match in the Pakistan Super League in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, March 13, 2020. The Pakistan Cricket Board decides the Pakistan Super League will go ahead despite the coronavirus outbreak and the withdrawal Friday of 10 foreign players. The vast majority of people recover from the new coronavirus. According to the World Health Organization, most people recover in about two to six weeks, depending on the severity of the illness. (AP/Fareed Khan)
A man walks near the entrance of the Louvre Museum, in Paris, Friday, March 13, 2020. The Louvre Museum in Paris and the Versailles Palace both said that they are closing “until further notice” amid the French government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP/Thibault Camus)
A gloved grocery shopper is dismayed over empty shelves at a local Ralphs supermarket in an attempt to stock up on supplies, Friday, March 13, 2020, in the Panorama City section of Los Angeles. (AP/Richard Vogel)
A waiter waits for customers in central Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 13, 2020. (AP/Manu Fernandez)
A bus conductor disinfects the hands of a passenger, after the government directed all operators of “matatus”, or public minibuses, to provide hand sanitizer to their clients, on a busy street in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Friday, March 13, 2020. Authorities in Kenya said Friday that a Kenyan woman who recently traveled from the United States via London has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the first case in the East African country. (AP/Patrick Ngugi)
A woman looks at an empty bread aisle at a supermarket in Antwerp, Belgium, Friday, March 13, 2020. (AP/Virginia Mayo)
The coronavirus can be a downer for those wanting to get high in one of Amsterdam’s world famous “coffee shops”, people queue to enter at coffeeshop Prix d’Ami where clients are scanned for fever, one of the symptoms of a coronavirus infection, and are obliged to wash their hands before being allowed to enter to roll a joint and smoke marijuana in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Friday, March 13, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP/Peter Dejong)
Students sanitize hands to avoid the contact of coronavirus before their morning class at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. (AP/Heng Sinith)
People wear masks at a shopping district in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. Panic and pollution drive the market for protective face masks, so business is booming in Asia, where fear of the coronavirus from China is straining supplies and helping make mask-wearing the new normal. (AP/Ahn Young-joon)
Hospital staff wash the emergency entrance of Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP/Dake Kang)
Children wearing face masks pose for photos at a display for the upcoming Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat, at the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
Workers wearing protective clothing disinfect the main hall of the Parliament, in Ankara Turkey, Friday, March 13, 2020, as a precaution against the coronavirus. (AP/Burhan Ozbilici)
A woman walks through Chinatown along quiet Grant Avenue, Friday, March 13, 2020, in San Francisco. A wave of closures and postponements spanning everything from government offices to cultural events and sports followed California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call this week for cancellation of all non-essential gatherings of 250 people or more because of the coronavirus threat. (AP/Eric Risberg)
A general view of Mayor square in central Madrid, Spain, Friday, March 13, 2020. Exhibitions, conferences, sports centers and museums are closing in Madrid, including the Spanish capital’s Prado Museum for the first time in eight decades. (AP/Manu Fernandez)
A student, wearing a homemade protective mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus, lines up for class in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 13, 2020. (AP/Ramon Espinosa)
A man walks through the empty hall of Terminal II at the airport in Munich, Germany, Friday, March 13, 2020. Due to the Coronavirus a large number of flights have to be cancelled. (AP/Matthias Schrader)
A private security man walks at one of the biggest malls in Lebanon which has closed its shops in an effort to spread the coronavirus outbreak in the country, at Hazmiyeh area east of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, March 13, 2020. (AP/Hussein Malla)
A woman passes the empty and closed Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Friday, March 13, 2020, a closure in line with the national policy relating to the coronavirus. (AP/Peter Dejong)
People wear face masks as they shop at a market in Beijing, Saturday, March 14, 2020. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
A woman shops among empty shelves at a Hy-Vee food store Friday, March 13, 2020, in Overland Park, Kan. (AP/Charlie Riedel)
A sign at a strip club advertises “coronavirus-free lap dances” Friday, March 13, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP/John Locher)
Shoppers browse barren shelves at a supermarket, Friday, March 13, 2020, in Larchmont, N.Y. (AP/John Minchillo)
Several airlines with canceled flights are shown on a departures board at JFK airport’s Terminal 1, Friday, March 13, 2020, in New York. (AP/Kathy Willens)
Zhili Sun, practices tai chi under a blooming cherry tree while wearing a mask, Sunday, March 15, 2020, along the tidal basin in Washington. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
Souvenir vendor Julio Saavedra wears rubber gloves and a face mask as he works adjacent to the Charging Bull statue, in New York, Sunday, March 15, 2020. (AP/Richard Drew)
A voter wearing a mask to protect from the new coronavirus casts a vote at a voting center in the French-Italian border city of Menton, southern France, Sunday, March 15, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. France pressed ahead with plans for nationwide municipal elections on Sunday but ordered special measures to keep people at a safe distance and to sanitize surfaces. (AP/Daniel Cole)
Two women wear face masks as they walk along a main street in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 15, 2020. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that schools, universities, restaurants and places of entertainment will be closed to stop the spread of the coronavirus. He also encouraged people not to go to their workplaces unless absolutely necessary. (AP/Oded Balilty)
People wear protective masks and gloves while voting in the municipal elections held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 15, 2020. Municipal elections took place on Feb. 16 but were cancelled midway and reprogrammed for Sunday due to a technical glitch. (AP/Tatiana Fernandez)
A woman wearing a face mask shops at a store in Bamland shopping mall, in Western Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 15, 2020. Many people in Tehran shrugged off warnings over the new coronavirus as authorities complained that most people in the capital are not treating the crisis seriously enough. (AP/Vahid Salemi)
A woman covers her face with a Brazilian flag during rally supporting Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, March 15, 2020. Thousands took to the streets on Sunday to demonstrate in favor of Bolsonaro, challenging in some states the ban on agglomerations due to coronavirus and ignoring his suggestion to postpone the acts. (AP/Silvia Izquierdo)
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Subway riders wear protective masks and gloves on a sparsely populated car during morning hours due to COVID-19 concerns that are driving down ridership, Thursday, March 19, 2020, in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tightened work-from-home rules Thursday as confirmed cases continued to climb in New York, an expected jump as testing becomes more widespread. But he stressed that roadblocks and martial law for New York City were merely rumors.
A couple walks along a usually busy Fremont Street after casinos were ordered to shut down due to the coronavirus  outbreak, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Las Vegas.
A woman rests on the balcony of a building as people stay in their houses to prevent the spread of coronavirus,, in Vitoria, northern Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2020. Spain will mobilize 200 billion euros or the equivalent to one fifth of the country's annual output in loans, credit guarantees and subsidies for workers and vulnerable citizens, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Tuesday. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some, it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems.
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