By Nick Esposito
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that New York state’s shutdown will remain in effect until at least April 29. This means that businesses deemed non-essential and schools will stay closed.
Cuomo’s stay-at-home order, New York State on PAUSE, started on March 22 to limit the spread of the coronavirus. It was later extended to April 15. The governor has said that he will continue re-evaluate the status of the pause every two weeks.
New York has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, counting near or more than 600 deaths per day in recent days. Meanwhile, Long Island has emerged as “a hot spot” for the coronavirus, according to President Donald Trump.
“We will be delivering another 200,000 N95 masks (for health care workers) to Suffolk County, where they need it very badly,” Trump said during his Sunday press briefing.
There have been more than 13,500 documented cases of COVID-19 in Suffolk, including nearly 200 deaths.
Gov. Cuomo suggested Monday though that the state’s infection rate may be entering its apex.
“The number of deaths has been effectively flat for two days,” he said Monday.
Here are the number of deaths over the weekend:
- Sunday, April 5: 599
- Saturday, April 4: 594
- Friday, April 3: 630 (New York’s peak so far)
More than 300 people from the Greater Sayville area (Sayville, West Sayville, Oakdale, Bayport, Blue Point, Bohemia, Great River and North Great River) have tested positive for coronavirus, according to figures compiled by Newsday, using statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau and Suffolk County GIS.
As of Monday morning, statewide figures show that there have been a total of 130,689 cases in New York with 4,758 deaths.
Officials note that both numbers are likely higher, given that many people survive bouts with the coronavirus without ever testing positive for it, and others have died from the virus without being included in the official count.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counts only deaths in which the presence of the coronavirus is confirmed in a laboratory test.
“We know that it is an underestimation,” agency spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said in a report, regarding the existing coronavirus counts.
Cuomo also said Monday that he is upping the enforcement of his state-mandated social distancing rules. He increased the maximum fine for violations those rules from $500 to $1,000.
