The Governor of New York State has ordered the National Guard to deploy in order to contain the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Specifically, the New York National Guard will be responsible for containing the area around New Rochelle, a small town a few miles north of New York City in Westchester County. The troops will assist in the decontamination of schools, places of worship, and large public areas, all of which have been closed and will remain closed for at least two weeks. Additionally, the will help in maintaining law and order and provide the essentials to the residents of New Rochelle.

These measures reflect preventive actions taken elsewhere in the country. In California, for example, some counties have already banned gatherings of more than 1000 people. Here is some advice on how to best prepare.

“New Rochelle, at this point, is probably the largest cluster of these cases in the United States,” said Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.

It is important to highlight that the Coronavirus isn’t deadlier than the common flu. Old age people and people with health conditions are the ones who are most vulnerable to the disease.

In its risk assessment, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) stated the following:

It’s likely that at some point, widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States will occur. Widespread transmission of COVID-19 would translate into large numbers of people needing medical care at the same time. Schools, childcare centers, and workplaces, may experience more absenteeism. Mass gatherings may be sparsely attended or postponed. Public health and healthcare systems may become overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Other critical infrastructure, such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, and sectors of the transportation industry may also be affected. Healthcare providers and hospitals may be overwhelmed. At this time, there is no vaccine to protect against COVID-19 and no medications approved to treat it.“

It is important to highlight that the Coronavirus isn’t deadlier than the common flu. The elderly and people with health conditions are the ones who are most vulnerable to the disease.

The governor of a state can make the call to activate the National Guard components of his state. Most usually, this happens in response to natural catastrophe, for instance, a hurricane, floods, bush fires, etc. In this case, however, National Guard troops are responding to a man-made emergency. Whatever the case, throughout the duration of the call-up, the National Guard troops are in a State Active Duty (SAD) status. And while under SAD, National Guard troops aren’t restricted by the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits federal troops from operating within the United States. Under SAD, National Guard troops, thus, are able to perform law enforcement duties as ordered by the state’s governor.

National Guard falls under Title 32 of the Constitution, whereas active duty troops fall under Title 10.

As of the writing of this article, New York State has almost 200 cases of the virus, 46 of which are located in New York City.

For a practical resource on how to deal with the Coronavirus, visit Apple iBooks.