New York to close schools, houses of worship in suburban centre of coronavirus outbreak

A man walks near the Young Israel orthodox synagogue in New Rochelle, New York, U.S., March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Schools, houses of worship and large gathering venues in part of the New York City suburb of New Rochelle will shut down for two weeks in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak at its local epicentre, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday.

The shutdown, which begins on Thursday and is due to last until at least March 25, affects an area of New Rochelle in Westchester County that measures 1 mile (1.61 km) in diameter. The county accounts for more than 100 of the state's 173 confirmed cases, the governor said.