The situation in New York City has reached a crucial point as it now contains approximately a third of all the coronavirus cases in America. New Yorkers have been ordered to stay indoors as much as possible to fight the spread of the disease.
As of March 20, NYC had reached 5,151 confirmed infections, 52 New York City police officers have been infected, and 29 residents have died. Mayor Bill de Blasio has been warning people about the scale of the crisis, stressing that the city is on course to run out of protective gear for medical workers so long as cases keep rising at this rate.
The mayor said:
We are now the epicenter of this crisis.
If you feel afraid, you are not alone, if you’re anxious you are not alone. New Yorkers are so strong. There are other places in this country this might be a particular shock to the system, but here… we are tough people by nature.
He urges residents not to go outside. If they must, they need to remain 6 feet away from other people. Also, the city will not approve permits for sports in parks, or events for an indefinite amount of time.
The state expects COVID-19 cases to peak in about a month and a half, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He says the state foresees 110,000 people being hospitalized with the virus during the height. Unfortunately, New York only has 53,000 beds. Officials have therefore been scrambling to get needed supplies and prepare extra hospital beds.
The governor said at a press conference in Albany:
When I talk about the most drastic action we can take, this is the most drastic action we can take. Cases across the state surged by 2,950 overnight to 7,102. This is not life as usual. Accept it. Realize it and deal with it.
As of early March 20, the governor ordered all nonessential businesses to keep 100% of their workforce at home. He is also putting stringent new restrictions on New Yorkers in place that will start as of March 22.
