Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for New York on Saturday amid new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including three more people in Nassau County.
“As we continue to provide essential updates and encourage people to act upon the facts on coronavirus instead of the hype, I have officially done a declaration of emergency which gives us certain powers to help local health departments that are very stressed,” Cuomo said. “As the local health departments continue to monitor and quarantine people, we have a more expedited purchasing protocol to get them all the tools they need to contain the virus spread. In the meantime, we are cracking down on price gouging which continues to be a problem, and I want businesses to be aware that you could lose your license because we are very serious about this.”
According to Cuomo, the state of emergency declaration allows, among other things:
- Expedited procurement of cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer and other essential resources
- Allowing qualified professionals other than doctors and nurses to conduct testing
- Expedited procurement of testing supplies and equipment
- Expedited personnel onboarding
- Expedited leasing of lab space
- Allowing EMS personnel to transport patients to quarantine locations other than just hospitals
- Providing clear basis for price gouging and enforcement investigation
The 32 new cases identified Saturday are located in New York City and Westchester and Saratoga counties. Of the 76 total individuals in New York State who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:
Westchester: 57
New York City: 11
Nassau: 4
Rockland: 2
Saratoga: 2
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said on Friday the three women, ages 36, 41, and 63 reside in the Town of Hempstead and “are connected, are close contacts with the 42-year-old Uniondale man who tested positive on Thursday.
The man, who sources told Newsday resides in Uniondale, is a part-time employee at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, according to multiple sources. Officials said he was hospitalized at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola on Thursday.
A spokeswoman at NYU Winthrop in Mineola told Newsday the man has not been in intensive care. Mary Ellen Laurain, a spokeswoman for the Nassau County Health Department said the man’s condition is continuing to improve.
Regarding the three new cases, Laurain said one of the women is hospitalized and the other two are in self-isolation in their homes and do not require quarantine.
Nassau Health Commissioner Lawrence Eisenstein said he does not believe the women contracted the virus in the workplace.
County officials said on Friday the three women “are people that we identified, isolated, and tested relatively quickly, so we’re hoping that secondary spread them will be limited.”
“This is actually good news in some ways because it says the process is working,” Cuomo said. “You get a case and you follow that case and you test that case because you want to find the people who were infected. You want to isolate those people so there is not continued spread.”
Cuomo announced the state of emergency in Albany on Saturday and said the total number of confirmed cases in New York has increased to 76.
The state of emergency declaration allows aids in expediting the procurement of resources such as cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, and testing supplies and equipment. The declaration also allows qualified professionals other than doctors and nurses to conduct testing.
County officials on Friday said they were monitoring 59 people, nine more people tested negative, and we’re awaiting results from eight others.
Officials announced first responders will be outfitted with gear to prevent themselves from contracting the virus when dealing with potentially infected people.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said equipment includes respiratory protection masks, gloves, eye shields, and gowns. Each patient will be given a surgical mask as well, he said.
Ryder encouraged the public to take precautionary measures if they are feeling sick.
“We’re taking all the precautions but we’re asking you to do the same thing,” Ryder said. “If you’re sick, stay home. Don’t come into work and risk getting the rest of your workplace sick.”
Cuomo stressed the importance of following the state’s health guidelines for those who are infected.
“When we say you are on precautionary quarantine, that is a serious situation,” Cuomo said. “We are assuming you will act in good faith and you will be following the rules of volunteer quarantine.”
In the United States, more than 350 confirmed cases of the virus have been detected, and 19 people have died, according to a New York Times database.
