Coronavirus: States begin to turn on New York as its death toll jumps by more than 100

Texas among those ordering quarantines for travellers coming from New York, where fatalities have spiked to nearly 400

Several states are mandating two-week quarantines for residents who recently travelled to New York, which has emerged as the “epicentre” of the coronavirus spread in the US.

Texas Governor Greg Abbot issued an executive order on Thursday requiring people flying into Texas from the tri-state area as well as New Orleans to quarantine for 14 days.

The order follows a similar measure from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who ordered anyone who entered the state from the New York tri-state area, which includes Connecticut and New Jersey, to isolate themselves for two weeks from when they arrived.

Their measures follow recommendations from the White House coronavirus task force this week that took aim at New York, which now has nearly half of all cases in the US.

Florida residents have criticised their governor for placing blame on out-of-state visitors rather than taking more stringent measures weeks ago, as thousands of tourists flocked to the state’s beaches during spring break, likely transmitting the virus in communities across the area.

Governor Abbot said the order “is intended simply to achieve the goals that have been articulated by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and by the White House organisation focused on reducing the spread” of the virus.

Earlier this week, Governor Andrew Cuomo said confirmed infections in the state were doubling every three days.

On Tuesday, the number of cases had reached more than 20,000. On Thursday, that figure reached more than 33,000, spiking by nearly 7,000 from the previous day, putting the state on track to hit more than 40,000 on Friday.

The state’s death toll jumped by more than 100 overnight on Thursday, reaching 385.

Dr Deborah Birx with the White House coronavirus task force said that 28 per cent of people who have been tested for coronavirus in New York are positive, compared to just 8 per cent in the rest of the US.

During a briefing on Tuesday, she said: “Clearly the virus had been circulating there for a number of weeks to have this level of penetrance into the general community.”

Combined, the tri-state area has nearly 43,000 confirmed cases as of Thursday, with at least 466 deaths.

New Orleans has fewer than 1,000 confirmed cases but just a fraction of the population, and a per capita death rate that is significantly higher than anywhere else in the US.

Hawaii, which would otherwise be preparing for a springtime tourism rush, has meanwhile asked travellers to postpone their trips there by at least 30 days.

Last week, Governor David Ige said: “The actions I’m announcing ... may seem extreme to some of you, and we know that it will have negative effects to our economy ... But we are confident that taking aggressive actions now will allow us to have a quicker recovery when this crisis is over.”

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy took a more intense action, asking all people arriving in the state — regardless of where they’re coming — to self-isolate for at least two weeks.