New York Governor declares state of emergency due to coronavirus

New York Governor Cuomo declares state of emergency as coronavirus cases rise to 76 after infected taxi driver walked in to Queens hospital and potentially infected 40 doctors and nurses

• Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in New York on Saturday
• 76 people in the state have now tested positive for coronavirus; up from the 44 confirmed on Friday 
• Disturbingly, two cases have been confirmed in the state’s northeast – the first outside the NYC region – indicating signs of wider spread 
• More than 4000 people in the state have been urged to self-quarantine to prevent the spread of the disease; Cuomo says many are not following protocol 
• Nationwide, 377 people have tested positive to coronavirus, and 14 people have died  

Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency in New York, with 76 residents testing positive to coronavirus. 

The declaration came Saturday afternoon, with the governor revealing the number of cases in the state has almost doubled in the past 24 hours alone. On Friday, 44 people were confirmed to have the disease. 

‘We have now been testing around the clock,’ Cuomo stated at a press conference, revealing that the number of cases in Westchester County has ballooned to 57. 

23 new cases in the county have been uncovered since Friday, and all are related to the New Rochelle lawyer who was diagnosed as the state’s first case earlier this week.   

There are now also 11 cases in New York City – up seven from yesterday.  

Disturbingly, there are also signs of wider spread, with two cases now confirmed in Saratoga County in the northeast of the state – hundreds of miles away from any other cases. 

There are still thousands of New York state residents awaiting the return of coronavirus test results.  

By declaring a state of emergency, Cuomo said that he is able to free up $30 million that can be used for testing and the purchase of protective gear for healthcare workers.

However, he encouraged the public to remain calm, and claimed there is no need to cancel large gatherings in any part of the state at present. 

Meanwhile, a Queens man who drives for taxi or ride-hailing services has now tested positive for coronavirus after showing up to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in the borough on Tuesday.  

The situation has prompted 40 doctors and nurses to go into self-quarantine amid fears they have now been exposed. The man is now in isolation at the hospital. 

Investigators are now trying to piece together who he might have driven around the city in a bid to contain a possible spread.  

Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on Saturday as coronavirus cases skyrocket across New York

Locals and tourists were taking no precautions as they made their way through bustling Times Square. Governor Cuomo has now declared a state of emergency 

 

‘The hospital will need to replace those people temporarily. They will need money to do that. They need supplies. We need to keep the health care up and running,’ Councilman Donovan Richards Jr, told The New York Times. 

Meanwhile, more than 4000 people in the state have been urged to self-quarantine to prevent the spread of the disease. 

NEW YORK STATE CORONAVIRUS CASES 

WESTCHESTER COUNTY: 57

NEW YORK CITY: 11

NASSAU COUNTY: 4

ROCKLAND COUNTY: 2

SARATOGA COUNTY: 2 

Most of those are New York City residents who have returned from the coronavirus hotspots of China, Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea within the past 14 days. 

Cuomo says he has been informed that many people are not following the self-quarantine requirements. 

‘When we say you are on precautionary quarantine, that is a serious situation. We expect to act in good faith and comply with it. If you do not comply with it, there are other measures that we could take,’ Cuomo threatened. 

He also warned vendors who are price-gouging on products such as hand sanitizer and surgical masks that their businesses could be shut down. 

The governor declared that some stores were selling sanitizer for $80. 

New York is the third state to declare a state of emergency over coronavirus cases, following Washington and California. 

Nationwide, at least 377 people in 28 states have tested positive to coronavirus, and 14 people have died.

An anxious man wears a medical mask on a New York City train on Saturday, as coronavirus cases rapidly rise in the area 

 John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens was nearly deserted Saturday morning, after the borough announced its first coronavirus case 

A woman makes her way through Grand Central Station in Manhattan Saturday morning, just blocks from where the infected New Rochelle lawyer worked 

The state of emergency was declared in New York as  

• 21 people on board a cruise ship floating off the coast of San Francisco tested positive to coronavirus 
• Two elderly people died in relation to the illness in Florida on Friday – the first deaths on the East Coast 
• Stanford University cancelled all in-person classes for the remainder of winter semester after a faculty member tested positive to coronavirus 
• The NBA prepares its stars to play matches without fans in attendance  
• Apple told all 12,000 employees at its headquarters Apple Park to remain home Friday, following similar guidance from Facebook and Microsoft
• City officials in Austin announced that South by South West festival is cancelled after dozens of stars and companies dropped out 

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CORONAVIRUS CRUISE SHIP OFF THE COAST OF SAN FRANCISCO WAITS IN LIMBO 

Relatives of the 3,500 passengers stranded on board a coronavirus-hit cruise ship off the coast of California are pleading for their loved ones to be evacuated before they become seriously ill.  

At least 21 people on the Grand Princess have contracted Covid-19 – just under half the number of those tested. California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, is now refusing to allow the vessel to dock in San Francisco. 

On Saturday, the daughter of one 90-year-old passenger said her father’s health is rapidly deteriorating as he remains stuck on the cruise liner. 

‘Keeping people on the ship is going to be a death sentence for many of the elderly passengers,’ panic-stricken Lisa Egan told The Telegraph. 

‘He has to take several medications daily, and he’s going to run out today [Saturday]. I’m sure that’s true for many passengers’.

Relatives of the 3,500 people on board the vessel say that the decision not to let their loved ones off the ship ‘is a death sentence’. The vessel has been floating off the coast of San Francisco since Wednesday

Earlier on Friday, military helicopters delivered 46 coronavirus testing kits. 21  of the 46 people who took the tests tested positive to Covid-19

John Miller, who is on board the Grand Princess, told ABC7 Saturday that news the Grand Princess was prohibited from docking in San Francisco was ‘the worst possible’ thing he could have heard.  

Overnight, the captin of the ship announced the Coast Guard was arriving to airlift a passenger who required ‘medical assistance’ to the mainland.  

A helicopter arrived shortly after, with the unidentified person flown to San Francisco for treatment, according to CNN. It’s unclear whether the person was one of the 21 who tested positive for coronavirus. 

The Grand Princess moved closer to land overnight, and is now floating around 20 miles off the coast of San Francisco – but there are still no details as to where or when the ship will port.  

An epidemiologist who studies the spread of virus particles says keeping passengers contained on the vessel will amplify the rate of infection. 

 

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