New York State COVID-19 hospitalizations lowest since March 18, Cuomo says
Shoppers and a store clerk wore masks last month at Wedding Warehouse in Bohemia before the store's permanent closure, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Raychel Brightman
The number of patients with COVID-19 across New York State is down to 518, the lowest hospitalization level since March 18, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Thursday, as the number of new infections remained at a level below 1% for the 13th day in a row.
But he continued to temper the good news with warnings that becoming lax with social distancing and wearing face coverings could lead to a dangerous uptick in new cases.
The state reported 601 new positive cases of COVID-19, or 0.74% of 80,984 tests, including 49 additional cases in Nassau County and 48 in Suffolk County — bringing New York's total to 427,803 since the beginning of the pandemic.
More than 5.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases have been documented across the country, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. The largest number of new cases in the last day of data has been seen in California, Texas, Florida and Georgia, according to the center.
New York, once the epicenter of the pandemic, has maintained a low infection level in recent months.
"I want to commend New Yorkers for practicing the basic daily behaviors — social distancing, washing hands and wearing masks — that make an enormous difference in our capacity to slow the spread, save lives," Cuomo said in a statement.
There were five new COVID-19 deaths recorded, state officials said, for an overall death toll of 25,275 in New York.
In Nassau, Executive Laura Curran said new infections have been at or below 1% for 16 consecutive days and there have been no fatalities related to COVID-19 for almost two weeks.
The State Liquor Authority and State Police Task Force visited 1,230 bars and restaurants on Long Island and in New York City on Tuesday to make sure they were complying with state regulations to slow the spread of COVID-19. Three violations were handed out to establishments in the city.
Cuomo repeatedly has called out local governments and police departments for not being aggressive enough when enforcing the COVID-19 orders. On Tuesday, he specifically named the NYPD, Nassau and Suffolk police departments, as well as the Town of Southampton, noting that "the SLA and the State Police cannot substitute for local police departments."
The task force has handed out more than 800 violations, and the state Liquor Authority has suspended the licenses of more than 145 bars and restaurants for "egregious violations."
On Monday, Tito Velasquez, of Valley Stream, left the Stern Family Center for Rehabilitation in Manhasset after a long struggle as a COVID-19 patient. Credit: Chris Ware
Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said late Wednesday that the municipality's police department has been "very active" in efforts to enforce COVID-19 regulations and educate business owners and patrons.
"The police have been going to all of our SLA establishments," he said, referring to bars and restaurants with liquor licenses. "We have made a number of referrals to the SLA."
The department has been checking social media posts for reports of gatherings and businesses not following the guidelines.
Also, the state's moratorium on commercial evictions and foreclosures — first enacted in March as a form of relief through the COVID-19 crisis — has been extended until Sept. 20, through an executive order signed by Cuomo on Thursday.
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Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
