75 million Americans told to stay home as testing reveals more coronavirus cases

More than a fifth of Americans were under orders Saturday to stay home as US health officials issued stark warnings about the spread of the coronavirus. About 75 million residents of Connecticut, Illinois, New York, and California have been directed to sequester, with only essential workers allowed away from home. The extreme measure is necessary to “avoid the loss of potentially tens of thousands of lives,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. While California Gov. Gavin Newsom said police will not be regulating the statewide order, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said residents of his state could be fined for choosing to ignore the directions. The sweeping steps follow similar directives throughout the week issued by city and state leaders urging residents to stay put. Those came on top of a slew of orders across the country demanding many bars and restaurants convert to only take-out and delivery services. All with the aim of keeping people apart.Washington Post: US intelligence warned Trump in January and February as he dismissed coronavirus threat”Every state will head this way,” CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem said Friday. “People need to prepare themselves that this gets harder before this gets easier.”President Donald Trump did not anticipate issuing any nationwide stay-at-home orders, he said Friday. Days earlier, the federal government issued “15-day pause” guidelines asking Americans to avoid public gatherings with more than 10 people, among other suggestions. The “pause” may last longer than 15 days, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, said in its own guidelines. One federal plan obtained by CNN includes preparations for a pandemic that could last 18 months or longer and include “multiple waves of illnesses.”