NY Gov. orders all nonessential workers to stay home

NEW YORK, March 20 (MENA) - All workers in nonessential businesses across New York state are required to stay home in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced at a press conference Friday morning.

The executive order takes effect Sunday evening, Cuomo said, and comes a day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state's nearly 40 million residents to stay home, CNN reported.

The two states have a combined population of nearly 59 million people, meaning the two orders affect nearly 1 in 5 Americans.