Gov. Andrew Cuomo will issue an executive order Wednesday requiring New York state residents to wear masks in public to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected over 2 million people and killed at least 133, 261 worldwide. New York state has reported 213,779 positive cases of the virus, and 11,586 people have died.

The executive order mandates that anyone in a situation where they’re unable to practice social distancing, such as on public transportation, must wear a mask or cloth to cover their nose and face.

Violating the executive order will not result in any penalty, Cuomo said at a press conference. If people are consistently seen not wearing masks in public as mandated, the governor will consider instituting a civil penalty, he said.

“I don’t wanna go to a penalty yet. We haven’t seen flagrant noncompliance,” Cuomo said. “If people don’t follow it, we could do a civil penalty.”

Local law enforcement agencies and governments should enforce the policy, the governor said. The state is giving the public three days notice to ensure compliance with the order.

New York state will begin reporting probable fatalities from COVID-19 in addition to the number of confirmed deaths, Cuomo said at the briefing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created the category because current data may be underreported.

“There is a sense that there may have been additional people who passed away and they weren’t included in the count because they weren’t in a hospital or nursing home,” Cuomo said.

The state is working to secure this data and will release any information necessary unless doing so violates privacy rights of the individuals concerned, he said.

Large-scale testing remains key to returning to normalcy, Cuomo said. The state will begin conducting 2,000 antibody tests per day using a finger-prick method. The governor has also asked the FDA for approval on an antibody test that could allow for 100,000 tests per day.

Developing a COVID-19 vaccine is the only way to assure the situation is finally over, Cuomo said. Only the federal government can approve this vaccine, which could take 12 to 18 months to develop, he said.

“Anything we can do to work with the federal government to get the vaccine out faster, we are all in,” Cuomo said.

Aside from a vaccine, discovering a treatment for the virus could effectively allow for a return to normalcy and ensure people know they’re safe from the most harmful effects of the virus, Cuomo said.

Until there’s a vaccine or treatment for the virus, the state must reopen gradually, the governor said. Businesses and services that are deemed most essential and have a low-risk of spreading the virus will be the first to reopen, Cuomo said.

“When you relax social distancing, you could very well see an increase in the infection rate,” he said.

Governors will be the ones who determine how and when their states reopen, but New York state needs federal funding in order to restart its economy, Cuomo said. Federal legislation providing funds to the state has been insufficient, he said.

“This is a public health crisis,” Cuomo said. “We’re still in the woods.”

The health care situation in New York state has stabilized, alleviating fears of overwhelming its hospital system, Cuomo said. As a result, the state will send 100 ventilators to Michigan and 50 to Maryland, as these states are experiencing an increase in deaths from the virus, he said.

“New Yorkers are generous and they are grateful and when you need help we will be there for you,” Cuomo said.

Published on April 15, 2020 at 10:04 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan