GALLUP, New Mexico has over 1,000 cases of coronavirus in a city of 21,000 people (Wikipedia).

The governor of New Mexico on Friday invoked riot control authority to battle a surge in coronavirus cases by locking down the city of Gallup.

Under the orders of Michelle Lujan, roads have been blocked to ”nonessential traffic,” routine public outings have been banned and businesses must close from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., according to the Associated Press.

The order came after a request from Gallup’s mayor.

Gallup is located in McKinley County where there are 1,027 confirmed cases of the virus. Gallup has a population of 21,678 as of the 2010 census.

There are 1.12 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University, which keeps  statistics on the COVID-19 pandemic. Deaths are at 65,068 nationwide.

Cuomo won’t be rushed into opening NY

NEW YORK City is ground zero for the coronavirus in the U.S. (Flickr/Andreas Komodromas).

Cautioning against “premature demands” to reopen his state, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he needed more information before lifting restrictions in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Even when you are in uncharted waters, it doesn’t mean you proceed blindly,” he said. “Use information to determine action – not emotions, not politics, not what people think or feel, but what we know in terms of facts.”

Other states have loosened their rules, but Cuomo’s Empire State has been the hardest-hit in the nation with nearly a third of the cases and deaths from COVID-19 in the United States. Nearby New Jersey has also suffered many incidents. There have been protests in some states – including California – increasing pressure to allow more businesses to open, helping to roll back the historic increases in unemployment which have struck the nation.

In New York City, on Friday 1,000 police officers were detailed to enforce social distancing rules, according to the Associated Press, but their main function was to disperse large groups and not to make arrests.

No assault claim in woman’s complaint

The woman who charged that former vice president Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993 told the Associated Press in an interview that the complaint she filed at the time did not include any mention of assault or harassment.

Tara Reade, who worked in Biden’s Senate office at the time of the alleged incident, said she “chickened out” from the more serious charges and instead used the term “uncomfortable” in describing their interactions.

Biden, who is the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, has denied the allegations and did so again in an interview on MSNBC on Monday.

Sunny times in the OC

Temperatures in the West Orange County area will be sunny today with a high of 78 and a low of 60 overnight. Sunday should be similar. There’s a 10 percent chance of rain each night.

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