Coronavirus: New York imposes measures in ‘last chance’ against new wave

New York has introduced new restrictions aimed at curbing coronavirus, with Mayor Bill de Blasio warning it was the city’s “last chance” to stop a second wave.

Bars, restaurants and gyms must close by 22:00 and people can only meet in groups of 10 or less.

The US is seeing a surge in coronavirus – a record 65,368 Americans were in hospital on Wednesday.

The Covid Tracking Project also reported a record 144,270 new cases.

An average of over 900 people a day are now dying with the disease.

More than a million new cases in November pushed the total confirmed cases to over 10 million nationally, with 233,080 deaths so far.

The US has been seeing more than 100,000 new cases per day over the last eight days in what experts say may be a worse outbreak than those seen in the spring and summer.

Experts warn hospitals across the country could soon be overwhelmed.

On Wednesday a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s Covid-19 advisory panel said a four to six week lockdown could bring the pandemic under control.

Dr Michael Osterholm said that the government could borrow enough money to cover lost income for businesses during a shutdown.