Despite the world’s best efforts to contain the novel coronavirus, things are quickly shutting down in the United States. Earlier today, it was announced that the entire state of  and now, New York is pretty much in the same boat.

With thousands of new COVID-19 cases being announced in the U.S. this week, state governments have been deciding whether or not to impose similar shutdowns as the ones we’re seeing in Italy and Spain. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced just now that all non-essential workers are required to stay home for twenty-four hours, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

The executive order will take place on Sunday. Cuomo gave a press conference where he spoke about the possible implications, recognizing that his actions “will cause disruption.”

“[My orders] will cause businesses to close. They’ll cause employees to stay at home. I understand that. They will cause much unhappiness. I understand that also. I accept full responsibility. If someone is unhappy, if somebody wants to blame someone, or complain about someone, blame me. There is no one else who is responsible for this decision,” said Cuomo.

The Governor noted that this is not just a “helpful hint.” Measures will be put in place to ensure that nobody leaves the house. 

“These provisions will be enforced,” he said. “These are not helpful hints. This is not if you really want to be a great citizen. These are legal provisions. They will be enforced. There will be a civil fine and mandatory closure for any business that is not in compliance. Again, your actions can affect my health. That’s where we are.”

This is a serious situation and we advise you to not take this lightly.