Wearing a mask or a face covering will be mandatory for New Yorkers from this Friday on, when people are out in public and in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as on public transportation.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive to be enforced from April 17 comes as the city continues to battle COVID-19 pandemic. The number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus has now touched 213,779 in the State.
The viral diseases has claimed lives of more than 14,000 New Yorkers while more than 27,000 have recovered.
Globally, the coronavirus infections have crossed two million with 130,000 deaths.
The United Nations, which is headquartered in the city, has paid tribute to healthcare workers serving on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus in New York, and published photos.
I have faith in New Yorkers.
We do what makes sense.
And it makes sense to cover your face to protect others. I believe in us.#NewYorkTough
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 15, 2020
The state will begin conducting antibody tests, prioritizing frontline health care workers, first responders and other essential workers, beginning this week, an announcement said.
According to the Governor’s office, using a new finger prick method the state will test up to 2,000 New Yorkers per day.
New York is also asking the FDA for expedited approval of a finger prick antibody test that could test up to 100,000 New Yorkers a day. Additionally, the state is continuing to engage with other partners including hospital labs and private companies to bring mass antibody testing to scale statewide.
The Empire State Building was lit in red, pictured here from UN Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, to pay tribute to first responders who are on the front line of the response to the pandemic.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider
The Governor also announced the state will give 100 ventilators to Michigan and 50 ventilators to Maryland.
The Governor also announced that the State University of New York and The City University of New York are using 3D printers to produce critical personal protective equipment for New York’s frontline health workers, his office said.
Cuomo’s office says SUNY campuses are producing about 2,100 face shields a day amongst 13 SUNY campuses, its four Cornell colleges, and its four university centers. Teams at six CUNY colleges have adapted their 3D printers and associated materials to make elements that are used in protective face shields for local hospitals. The face shields are being donated to medical teams across the state, as resources are needed by hospitals, nursing homes and testing sites.
“As we continue to flatten the curve and slow the infection rate of the virus we have to build a bridge from where we are now to the reopening of the economy, and the single best tool to do that is large scale testing,” Governor Cuomo said.
“We have done more tests than any other state in the nation – more than 500,000 in over a one-month period – but we need to do more and we need the help of the federal government to get people back to work and begin our return to a new normal. We are going to begin conducting antibody testing for our frontline workers and we are currently able to test 2,000 people per day, and we are asking the FDA for approval of a finger prick test that would allow us to test 100,000 people per day. Another part of getting to the new normal is continuing to stop the spread of the virus, and to do that I am issuing an Executive Order that says all people in public must wear a mask or face covering.”
