After announcing joint regional action to close casinos, gyms, and theaters along with neighboring states Connecticut and New Jersey, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Monday announced an uptick in the state's coronavirus cases and issued a spate of new rules.
Cuomo revealed that there are now 950 confirmed cases in New York with 158 hospitalizations and seven deaths and pleaded with the federal government to provide nationwide plans and guidance. Specifically, he asked for the deployment of the Army Corps of Engineers to work with states to build temporary medical facilities, like the ones seen in China as it struggled to contain its own coronavirus outbreak. Yesterday, Cuomo made that plea in an op-ed.
“I want federal guidance,” he said. “You can’t have one state taking action that is different from other states.”
Among the emergency regulations announced Monday are a mandatory reduction in local government staffing and the addition of new drive-through testing sites.
He announced that after success in New Rochelle, more drive-through sites will open on Long Island, Staten Island, and in Rockland County.
To help ease the virus’ spread, restaurants, bars, and wineries in the state will be barred from hosting dine-in guests. The State Liquor Authority will adjust its rules to allow eateries to operate takeout service. Cuomo said the measures are being enacted throughout the tri-state region to prevent individuals from heading to neighboring states if they are unhappy with their own state’s rules or closures.
As the state, and the nation, stays home in efforts to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, Cuomo made the assessment that he does not think the New York area can flatten the curve enough to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system
“I don’t think of a curve. I think of a wave. And a wave is going to break, and the wave is going to break on the hospital system,” he warned.
To combat what is likely to be dramatically increased pressure on the public health system, Cuomo asked local governments to immediately identify beds in available facilities. He called for 5,000 additional beds in NYC, 1,000 in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and 2,000 in Westchester County, where the New Rochelle cluster is located. Additionally, he said Department of Health regulations will be suspended to allow hospitals to add space and is considering banning non-critical elective surgeries.
“They don’t build extra ICU beds ‘just in case.’ They don’t build a wing of ICU beds that sit empty for 10 years on the off chance there’s going to be a public health emergency and you’re going to need them,” he declared. Without federal guidance and funds, the state plans to organize the National Guard, building unions, and private developers to convert facilities with “basic configuration that could be retrofitted” like dorms and former nursing homes.
For those who are not yet sick, Cuomo said he will waive state park fees to encourage spending time outside in less densely packed areas.
