NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — On Friday, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered his daily coronavirus update from the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, the site of a FEMA temporary hospital, that is set to house 1,000 patients.
The big takeaway from Cuomo’s announcement on Friday was that schools across the state will be closed for another two weeks, until at least April 15. Cuomo said as that date gets closer, he will reassess again.
Cuomo also mentioned four new sites where temporary hospitals could be built. These are the sites that are being considered:
- NY Expo Center in The Bronx, which has 90,000 square feet of space
- Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, which has 100,000 square feet of space
- Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, which has 182,000 square feet of space
- College of Staten Island, which has 77,000 square feet of space
Cuomo also said he and his team are looking into other spaces, like dormitories and hotels, for more space if needed. He said they are getting creative when looking for space, and says the apex of this virus could still be 21 days away.
The number of people being tested has risen again. More than 16,000 people were tested on Thursday, bringing the number tested in New York State to 138,376. There are now 44,635 positive cases of coronavirus in the state, up 7,377 on Thursday. The number of deaths, unfortunately, has risen as well to 519 as of Friday morning.
To watch the Governor’s entire press conference, click the player below:
