ALBANY – New York State has extended its nonessential workforce policy regulations through mid-April.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says the “New York On Pause” policy will now run through April 15. This is the policy keeping 100% of the nonessential workforce home.
The governor made the announcement during Sunday’s COVID-19 update.
He says the trajectory of cases continues to climb with 7,195 new positive cases.
New York state continues to be the most impacted state in the United States with a total of 59,513 cases.
Looking at trend lines, the hospitalization rate was doubling every 2 days but that rate has slowed to every 6 days even though positive case numbers continue to go up.
New York State’s plan to combat COVID-19 is one of unity. Governor Cuomo is urging hospitals, both public and private, to work together with a coordination system.
With a “rolling apex” and current projections, New York City will reach its apex first, then either Westchester or Long Island, followed by Upstate New York.
With the coordination system between healthcare systems, Upstate New York hospitals would be able to lend help when New York City hospitals need it, and vice versa. “This is going to be all hands on deck,” said Governor Cuomo.
The New York State Health Department is working to create a faster, easier way to test. The Wadsworth Center has developed a less-intrusive saliva and short nasal swab test that can be administered by healthcare workers that will be available as soon as next week.
The USNC Comfort, a military hospital ship, will be arriving in New York City on Monday. The ship offers a 1,000 hospital beds that will be used for a backlog of patients who are not being treated for COVID-19.
Governor Cuomo said the state is still working to stockpile personal protection equipment. An overwhelming 76,000 healthcare workers have volunteered their help to hospitals during their time of need.
President Trump and the CDC issued a travel advisory on Saturday, March 28 for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Governor Cuomo clarified that this is not a lockdown. This is exactly what the state has been telling everyone: stay at home.
Rhode Island repealed an executive order to stop people with New York license plates at the border to put them in mandatory quarantine.
While these are trying times, Governor Cuomo took the time to remind people to find the joy in this situation. “We are strong, we have endurance and we have stability,” said Governor Cuomo. “Any obstacle that we come across we will manage that obstacle.” He cited two New York expressions: Excelsior and E Pluribus Unum, meaning always improving together.”
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