Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared an official state of emergency in the state of New York after new cases of the COVD-19 diseases caused by the coronavirus spiked in number.
The total number of new cases so far is 89 with 11 of the cases coming from New York City. The majority of cases, however, are in Westchester County and are linked to Midtown Manhattan lawyer. In Westchester, public school closings have been announced. However, such a decision has not been taken in NYC.
“We are seeing more community transmission between people who have no direct connection to travel to one of the affected countries,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement. “I urge New Yorkers to remain vigilant—not alarmed—and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones. As we continue to see more cases of COVID-19, we will be providing as much guidance to New Yorkers as possible to keep our city safe.”
The last time a state of emergency was declared in New York when in March 2017 for a blizzard. With the newly-issued status, $40 million will be allocated to local health departments to monitor thousands of potentially infected patients.
Cuomo added: "People say, ‘Oh, no, more people have it.’ We say that’s good news, that we know who the people are so now we can put them in an isolated situation and they won’t contaminate more people."