Authorities in New York Saturday declared emergency in the city as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 89, while the nationwide death toll from the virus reached 19 on Saturday.

More than half of all US states have reported cases of the coronavirus, which originated in China last year and causes the sometimes deadly respiratory illness COVID-19.

As the outbreak takes root, daily life has become increasingly disrupted, with concerts and conferences canceled and universities telling students to stay home and take classes online.

Organizers of the Conservative Political Action Conference, said on Saturday one of their attendees had tested positive for the virus after exposure prior to the event.

The person had no interactions with President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, who were in attendance, the American Conservative Union said in a statement.

The two latest deaths were in Washington’s King County, the hardest hit area in the United States after the virus spread among residents at a nursing facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland.

The first deaths on the East Coast announced late Friday, with two people succumbing in Florida.

In New York, the number of confirmed cases rose by 13 on Saturday to a statewide total of 89 people, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

He issued a declaration of emergency.