Pearl Harbour 2

U.S medical chief warns of worst fortnight  Abortion ban in some states causes outrage

- Christopher Bucktin

America's top medic warned his country yesterday that the coronavirus will take a devastating toll in the coming days.

Dr Jerome Adams, the US Surgeon General, said the next two weeks will be the “hardest and saddest” of most Americans’ lives.

As the number of Covid-19 cases soared to 331,519 with 9,484 fatalities, he said: “This is going to be our Pearl Harbour moment, our 9/11 moment – only it’s not going to be localised, it’s going to be happening all over the country.”

Dr Adams was responding to governors, mainly Republicans, who have not ordered a lockdown.

So far Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota have no known lockdown orders in place, while Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma and North Carolina do not have state-wide orders.

Eight of the nine states are run by Republican governors with North Carolina the only exception.

Dr Adams added: “If we want to flatten that curve and get through to the other side, everyone needs to do their part.

“If you can’t give us 30 days, governors, give us a week, give us what you can, so we don’t overwhelm our healthcare systems.”

As the death toll continues to soar tens of thousands of desperate women have been banned from having abortions, with several states classing the procedure as non-essential.

Furious abortion-rights groups say officials are exploiting the crisis in healthcare resources to advance their agenda to restrict terminations.