Pentagon orders body bags for civilians, New York battered by virus

Cots are set up at a possible COVID-19 treatment site Wednesday, April 1, 2020, in San Mateo, Calif. The National Guard is currently setting up the federal cache, which includes cots and personal protective equipment needed to establish a federal medical station with capacity up to 250 beds. No patients will be immediately housed in the space but proactively standing it up now allows the County to be ready if and when hospitals need more medical spaces. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

According to Bloomberg News, the U.S. Pentagon is seeking at least 100,000 military-style body bags for potential civilian use, as the U.S. prepares for a soaring death total from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report says the Pentagon will buy more bags and use some initially from a stockpile of 50,000 it maintains.

Globally, more than 932,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported, with America leading with at least 213,000 cases.

New York state is continuing its fight against a growing surge in coronavirus cases and deaths.

While hotspots for the virus appear across the U.S. in places like New Orleans and Detroit, New York City saw its death toll soar to more than 1,900.

According to an estimate from Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, New York State has surpassed China in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a statewide stay-at-home order, following mounting local pressure for him to abandon a county-by-county approach to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. So far, the state has recorded more than 100 deaths from the coronavirus.

More then 30 other U.S. states have issued stay-at-home orders, including New York, Maryland and California.