NEW YORK (TIP): Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced, March 29 extension of shut down of New York State until April 15. The shutdown requires all non-essential employees to stay home for another two weeks.
The order, known as NY PAUSE, is now in effect until April 15, Cuomo said. All non-essential employees will have to continue to stay home and work from home, and many businesses will remain closed.
Governor Cuomo cautioned New Yorkers that the economic fallout of the pandemic is a thing of worry. The state’s budget deadline of April 1 is approaching and there is a $10 to $15 billion dollar hole in its budget.
He blasted the federal government for abandoning New York in the recent CARES Stimulus bill. New York is not getting the aid it was expecting, Cuomo said.
“We have more cases than anyone else, we got the lowest level of reimbursement than anyone else,” Cuomo said. “What happened to funding the need?”
In order to complete the state’s budget, Cuomo warned of steep cuts. “The help we were waiting for from Washington never came,” he said. “Now we have to make drastic cuts to the budget, like you have never seen.”
Those cuts will come as the virus continues to spread across the state. There were thousands of cases and more than 200 deaths reported overnight — the state now has 59,000 positive cases of coronavirus, and 965 New Yorkers have died from the virus.
Though the spread continues, the rate of infection is slowing somewhat. A few days ago, the rate of hospitalizations was doubling every two days. Now, Cuomo said, it’s doubling every six.
New York has become a hotbed of the coronavirus, and other places are starting to take notice. Cuomo thanked Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo for rescinding the executive order she signed that would have stopped cars with New York license plates at the Rhode Island border. Cuomo also said he agreed with the recently adopted CDC travel advisory for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The order is the same as what New York has already advised citizens to do.
“I support what the president did, because it affirms what we’ve been doing,” Cuomo said.
Here are the latest totals of positive cases for the most-impacted areas of the state:
New York City: 33,768
Westchester: 8,519
Nassau: 6,445
Suffolk: 5,023
Rockland: 2,209
Orange: 1,247
Erie: 358
Dutchess: 320
Monroe: 219
Albany: 205
Despite the fear that’s gripping many people, Cuomo applauded the more than 76,000 retired healthcare workers who have volunteered to help staff hospitals, as well as the first responders who are still doing their jobs every day. He called them all “truly outstanding, amazing human beings.”
He also assured the people of the state that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that even though this won’t necessarily end soon, it will end.
“This is New York. We’re going to make it through this,” Cuomo said. “We’ve made it through far greater things. We’re going to be OK. We specialize in stamina and strength and stability, and that’s just what we’re doing now. “
Stay indoors. Stay safe. Stay blessed.