by Mary Margaret Olohan
France and Israel shut down all non-essential stores, restaurants and cafes Saturday to prevent the coronavirus pandemic from spreading.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that all restaurants, cafes and movie theaters will shut down beginning Sunday, Fox News reported.
France also declared that all non-essential stores, restaurants, movie theaters and cafes will shut down beginning Sunday, but French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said banks, grocery stores, pharmacies and other public services may remain open.
The entire country of Italy shut down after the Italian government closed all nonessential shops and services except for supermarkets and pharmacies.
The country has been harder hit by the coronavirus than any other country except China, where the outbreak has reportedly begun to ease up. The government in Beijing is sending teams of doctors and specialists to Italy to aid Italian outbreaks.
President Donald Trump declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency in the United States during a Friday press conference. His declaration will allow the federal government to aid state and local governments in fighting the coronavirus through up to $50 billion in additional aid, and came only a day after he declared a near total travel ban from Europe to the United States.
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Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
