NEW YORK CITY — Bars, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and casinos in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will close at 8 p.m. Monday and remain closed until the state governors deem it safe for them to reopen.

This order comes from Govs. Andrew Cuomo, Ned Lamont and Phil Murphy, who announced a regional joint effort Monday morning to combat the spread of the new coronavirus. "Don't even think about going to a neighboring state because it's going to have a different set of conditions," Cuomo said during a news conference call. "Coming up for the same rules for closings is imperative."

Restaurants and bars will be allowed to continue take-out service, according to the governors. Businesses that are ordered closed Monday will remain closed until further notice, the governors said.

As of Monday, there were no plans in place to close down public transportation in New York State, Cuomo said. Cuomo also called for the Army Corps of Engineers to be sent to the region to increase hospital capacity, warning that the COVID-19 spread could overwhelm the health care system.



"We're going to have a real problem is when these cases hit their apex," Cuomo said. "We do need the feds to help step up."

New Jersey Gov. Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Lamont urged governors across the nation to replicate the joint policy agreed upon by the three lawmakers.