WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2020) US city of Washington declared a stay-at-home order on Monday requiring people to avoid travels under the threat of fines and imprisonment.
"Due to an increasing number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases... I've issued a stay-at-home order for the District of Columbia," Mayor Muriel Bowser said via Twitter on Monday. "This order reinforces my direction to residents to stay at home except to perform essential activities."
Violators may be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, subject to a fine not exceeding $5,000, imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both, she added.
An order allows people to leave homes for essential activities only, such as obtaining medical care, food and essential goods or work at essential businesses.
Washingtonians also can engage in some "allowable recreational activities," Bowser said.
US states of Virginia and Maryland, neighboring to Washington, issued similar orders earlier in the day.
As of Monday afternoon, all three jurisdictions had almost 2,900 confirmed coronavirus cases.
