Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti shows a Memorandum with COVID-19 city departments guidelines, as he takes questions at a news conference in Los Angeles, Thursday, March 12, 2020. Garcetti closed City Hall to the public and banned all events or conferences on city-owned properties for more than 50 people. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti painted a gloomy picture for the city when it comes to the COVID-19 outbreak. He indicated that if the trends persist, the number of coronavirus cases could double every two days. According to the mayor, the city’s cases would be in the same ballpark as New York.

“We will be where they are,” he told reporters on Friday. “We will have doctors making excruciating decisions. We will be trying to figure out what we do with that surge, how to get ventilators, where to find beds.’

678 new cases were revealed in Los Angeles County over the last 48 hours. This brings the total number of cases to 1,500. So far, more than 360 people in New York City have succumbed to the disease. The city currently has 26,000 cases.

Los Angeles is taking action to impede the spread of the virus and prevent further infection. California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently issued a shelter-in-place order, requiring residents to remain at home. Garcetti indicated that his office is gearing up to enforce business closures and social distancing.

The mayor has even threatened to shut off power and water to nonessential businesses that refused to close. “99.99 percent of this can be done without any criminal penalty, but we are prepared if anybody is an outlier,” he said.

Another measure that the city is taking is preparing for an increase is the number of patients that hospitals receive. The Mercy hospital ship is docked in the Port of Los Angeles and will provide essential medical care to non-coronavirus patients. The military has also provided eight field hospitals that can accommodate 2,000 patients.

The city is facing the same type of issues that other major cities are experiencing. They are concerned about obtaining the tools and resources needed to provide adequate medical care. The city’s government is also trying to make sure that there are enough hospital rooms to address the expected increase in patients.

As of yesterday, the total number of coronavirus cases in the United States increased to 100,000. About 1500 Americans have died from the illness so far. Congress recently passed a law providing funding to alleviate some of the economic impacts of the virus. The Trump administration is working with states to provide the necessary resources to help them combat the spread of the disease.

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