ALBANY, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) — Multiple school systems across New York announced Sunday that they would be shutting down as the state grappled with a deepening crisis caused by the coronavirus.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city's 1.1 million pupil system would halt classes until at least April 20.
Schools also shut on Long Island. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said all public and private schools in the county adjacent to New York City will close for two weeks. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone also ordered all schools in his county closed.
At the other end of the state, Erie County Executive Mark Polonzarz declared a state of emergency Sunday and said all schools in the county, including in Buffalo, would be closed Monday. He said three Erie County residents have tested positive for the virus and are in quarantine at home.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had resisted calls for the schools to close, saying he worried it would not only disrupt education but possibly cause health care workers who are parents to have to stay home with their kids. But he said he changed his mind as the tally of cases rose.
"This is a very troubling moment. A moment where I am just distraught," de Blasio said. "I became convinced over the course today that there's no other choice."
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TOLL MOUNTS
The number of fatalities in the state caused by the virus leaped to at least six, according to officials.
Four deaths, all in New York City, were reported by city officials Sunday. They included two victims in their 70s who had substantial health problems besides the virus and two people in their 50s, also with health problems.
Speaking at midday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the number of New Yorkers diagnosed with the virus had risen to 729, the most in any U.S. state. But he noted that more positive tests were coming in by the hour and that the tally would quickly become obsolete.
Cuomo has said he believes thousands of New Yorkers, possibly tens of thousands, already have the disease.
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FEDERAL AID SOUGHT
The Army Corps of Engineers should be mobilized to help fight the coronavirus by equipping facilities like military bases or college dorms to serve as temporary medical centers, Cuomo said Sunday.
In an opinion piece published in The New York Times, the Democrat called on President Donald Trump to authorize states to expand testing capabilities, set federal standards for shutting down commerce and schools, and mobilize the military to bolster medical treatment capabilities.
"States cannot build more hospitals, acquire ventilators or modify facilities quickly enough," Cuomo wrote, saying the expertise and equipment of the corps of engineers is "our best hope."
In a news conference Sunday afternoon, Cuomo said his biggest worry is the limited number of intensive care unit beds statewide as more vulnerable coronavirus patients seek care in coming weeks.
Noting that the state has about 53,000 regular hospital beds and 3,000 intensive care ones, Cuomo said, "3,000 goes very quickly on any projection of these numbers."
The virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover.
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LAWMAKERS INFECTED
The infected included two members of the New York Assembly, Helene Weinstein and Charles Barron, both Brooklyn Democrats.
Both lawmakers have been absent from Albany since the beginning of the month, but all legislators and staff who came into contact with them will be tested, Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said in a statement Saturday.
The Capitol is being cleaned and has been closed to visitors, they said.
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CURFEW IMPOSED
New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer called for a shutdown of bars, restaurants and movie theaters, as well as city schools. "We cannot go on with business as usual," Stringer said.
Cuomo said he has asked businesses to "aggressively consider work from home and voluntary closing," adding "we could take mandatory action later on."
Cuomo said all nonessential state government personnel have been asked to stay home from Rockland County south. That's about half the state workforce in that area, he said.
Seeking to calm nerves, the governor said there would not be restrictions that would keep people from leaving New York City.
De Blasio said law enforcement will begin cracking down on bars, restaurants and other businesses that aren't abiding by rules restricting them to 50% occupancy.
Across the Hudson River from New York City, the mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, imposed a curfew that will require residents to be in their homes between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., starting Monday, and said restaurants and bars would have to stop serving food, except takeout or delivery.
