Within the context of the COVID19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) pandemic, the term (going) on lockdown has surged in reference to the State of Emergency, shelter-in-place orders or directives, issued by Governors and Mayors in the US, and Heads of State internationally. (Going) on lockdown is being used in the American sense of the term lockdown, originating in the penal system, where according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary lockdown refers to "the confinement of prisoners to their cells for all or most of the day as a temporary security measure."
In the rapidly evolving COVID19 situation, as of March 23, 2020, fifteen US States were already on lockdown, meaning that the population of those states, an estimated 187 million people, had been ordered to “stay home” for at least 21 days. The States on ordered lockdown, included: California, Oregon, Nevada, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, Louisianna, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and West Virginia (Smith, March 23, 2020). As a measure of how fast the situation is evolving, 10 more states had issued lockdown orders, between end of day on March 23, and 8 pm EST on March 24, the day after information rolled in for this post. Thus, on March 24 (at 8 pm EST), the total number of states under lookdown, according to the WSJ, was close to half of US states (Gershman, March 24, 2020).
Short of a national lockdown in the US, when individual States go on lockdown it is usually the culmination of a process of less draconian recommendations aimed at promoting social distance for protection against COVID19. Once on lockdown, however, the States transform previous social distancing recommendations into shelter-at-home (stay-at-home) orders, enforceable by fine and/or imprisonment, that fully detail restrictions on individual movement and social gatherings while mandating protective hygiene, telecommuting, and distance learning.
On lockdown, public places such as parks, playgrounds and beaches are ordered closed. Likewise, nonessential businesses such as shops, bars, restaurants, cinemas, and theatres are ordered closed, while schools and universities are ordered to migrate online. Gatherings of more than 2 people (except within a household) are prohibited, which means that weddings, christenings, bar and bat mitzvahs, parties and other sorts of social events and celebrations are banned. Most importantly, individuals are finally ordered to stay (at) home, shelter-in-place or stay SaferAtHome, except for medical appointments, infrequent shopping for food, short physical exercising, caring for the elderly or vulnerable populations, and work in essential businesses and services.
Beyond the United States, in Europe, Africa and Asia, the following are a few of the nations on full or sometimes partial lockdown:
- Italy (since March 9) and Spain (since March 14), the European epicenters of the COVID19 pandemic,
- France (since March 17)
- Germany (since March 20)
- The UK (since March 23)
- India (since March 24, the largest lockdown in the world affecting a population of 1.3 billion)
- Australia (since March 25)
- New Zealand (since March 25, on full lockdown for one month)
- South Africa (on full lockdown effective March 26 to April 16)
- City of Wuhan Hubei Province of the People’s The Republic of China (since January 23, the model lockdown, now slowly easing certain orders, expected to lift on April 8)
In fact, one third (and still counting) of the world population, according to Business Insider (16 minutes ago at approx. 5:30 pm PST, on March 25) is now on lockdown orders.
Portrait of a place: Wuhan, © 2020 Nowness.com
Under different non-emergency circumstances, and at
other junctures in time, such lockdown
measures would normally be considered an inconceivable
breach of individual freedoms. However, the COVID19 pandemic has
created extraordinary conditions in the world, where the US is no exception. On
March 25, 2020, the WHO dashboard on COVID19 statistics updated daily at 9 am indicated: more than 370,000 infections in the
world, with a death toll of more than 16,000. According to the CDCs (Center for Disease Control), in the US, the total number of infections reported
was in excess of 60,000, with New York State at the epicenter of the US outbreak,
comprising close to 50% of all US cases (CDC, COVID 19).
Update (March 31, 2020)
The WHO dashboard on COVID19 statistics indicated more than 750,000 infections in the world with a death toll of more than 34,000.
Update (March 31, 2020)
The WHO dashboard on COVID19 statistics indicated more than 750,000 infections in the world with a death toll of more than 34,000.
References
CDC (Centers for Disease Control) - COVID19 cases in the US - Situation summaryhttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Desai, S. (March 21, 2020) You should already be on lockdown: 6 feet away just doesn’t cut it. The Atlantic.
Ferguson, R (March 25, 2020) Australia: How the new lockdown affects you. The Australian.
Gershman, J. (March 24, 2020)
A Guide to State Coronavirus Lockdowns – Wall
Street Journal
Merriam Webster dictionary definition for the term lockdown
Kaplan, J., Frias, L & M. McFall-Johnsen (March 25, 2020) A third of the global population is on coronavirus lockdown — here's our constantly updated list of countries and restrictions. Business Insider
Nowness
Smith, J. (March 23, 2020) More than 100 people die of coronavirus in one day in America for the first time. DailyMail.com
Tapsfield, J. & J. Maidment (March 23, 2020) Boris Johnson announces the most draconian lock-down in British peace or wartime history. DailyMail.com
The Guardian – Coronavirus: Live updates
WHO - Coronavirus disease (COVID19) outbreak situation
