Governor Cuomo Press Briefing
- The Governor announced that he will issue an Executive Order today requiring all people in public to wear a mask or face covering in all situations where a person may not be able to maintain social distancing. The Executive Order will be effective Friday, April 17th. At this time there will not be a penalty for non-compliance, but if there is not widespread compliance a civil penalty may be applied. The requirement will be enforced at the local level.
- The curve continues to flatten and is slightly down for the second straight day. The amount of new hospitalizations and number of intubations continues to decrease, but there are still many (over 2,200 yesterday) new COVID hospitalizations every day.
- There were a total of 752 COVID-19-related deaths yesterday. This represents a slight decrease under the previous day – but for the last several days the number was generally flat. A total of 11,586 New Yorkers have passed away from coronavirus.
- The Governor wants to “build a bridge” from a closed economy to an open economy, with the ultimate resolution being an effective vaccine which could take over a year. In the meantime, there are medical treatments that could help open the economy including convalescent plasma, antibody testing, and hydroxychloroquine.
- Reopening the economy will be a gradual, phased process. The most immediate need is an increase in multiple forms of testing to determine who can return to work safely. To test at the scale necessary support from the Federal Government is needed. The State also needs funding from the Federal Government to manage all these functions to reopen.
- New York State has ramping up their own production of antibody tests and will prioritize healthcare workers, first responders, and essential workers.
- During the phased reopening the State will weigh factors for opening businesses including, how “essential” the business service or product is, and what is the risk of “infection spread” of the business. The state will then use a matrix to determine which business can start to open starting with low risk highly essential businesses.
- New York is sending 100 ventilators to Michigan and 50 to Maryland to help those state deal with the crisis.
New York City Council
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced that the New York City Council would hold a Stated meeting on Wednesday April 22, 2020, the first since all hearings and stated meetings were called off because of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. The April 22 stated will be held remotely, which is a first in the legislative body’s 82-year history. Members of the public will be able to watch online in real time on the Council website.
Up-To-Date Guidance
- New York State Department of Health: Interim Guidance on Executive Order 202.16 Requiring Face Coverings for Public and Private Employees Interacting with the Public During the COVID-19 Outbreak
- New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities:
- Empire State Development: Guidance for Determining Whether a Business Enterprise is Subject to a Workforce Reduction Under Recent Executive Orders
- There have been no changes since our last update.
- New York City: Agency Suspensions and Reductions
Attached please find a comprehensive document with guidance from across government agencies. We will be updating this document as information becomes available and including it in our daily updates.
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Update Page: https://www.ostroffassociates.com/covid-19-updates/
News Page: https://www.ostroffassociates.com/category/covid-19/
