ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB-TV) — There are now 328 positive cases of coronavirus in New York State, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, up 112 cases from Wednesday.
There are new cases across upstate New York, but none west of Monroe County, where the first COVID-19 case was confirmed late Wednesday night.
To reduce the number of people in gathering places. Cuomo’s plan includes not allowing 500 people to be in one area at a time. This goes into effect at 5 p.m. on Friday.
The exceptions are places like hospitals, schools, and nursing schools. There is no word on how long this limit will be in place.
At a subsequent Erie County briefing, health officials strongly recommended canceling all events with the potential of 250 or more people in attendance. This follows the City of Buffalo canceling both weekend parades.
Cuomo’s other main point was making sure the healthcare system is ready, mentioning that was the problem for Italy. The Department of Health is accelerating training nurses to get them into specific positions where they may be needed, like the ICU. He also put a call out to retired doctors and nurses to be on call to be able to help out if needed, saying those people should reach out to their local hospitals to establish a connection. Cuomo also said the state is looking to see if there were any facilities that could be put in an on call situation, in case extra hospital room is needed.
The other main point Cuomo talked about Thursday was limiting visitors to nursing homes and senior assisted living facilities. All staff are now required to wear masks at these facilities. Cuomo is also mandating that non-medical personnel and staff should not be allowed to enter these type of facilities, except in extenuating circumstances.
