New York state is sending one million masks to NYC, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says

“It won’t get us through the crisis, but it will make a significant contribution to New York City’s mask issue,” Cuomo said. A number of apparel companies in New York are converting to mask manufacturers, and Cuomo said he is exploring the state also manufacturing masks.

Cuomo announced that there are 10,356 confirmed Covid-19 cases across New York. There are 3,254 new cases across New York state, Cuomo said, with at least 1,803 new cases in New York City alone for a combined total of 6,211.

Fifty-four percent of New York State cases are of people between 18 and 49 years old.

At least 45,000 people have been tested for Covid-19, and about 15% of those cases are being hospitalized. “The more tests you take, the more positives you find,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo tweeted on Saturday that 500,000 masks will go to Long Island and that “we are purchasing 6,000 additional ventilators and gathering supplies from every source we can get.”

The Democratic governor is touring sites Saturday with the Army Corps of Engineers for alternate hospitals, including the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. These sites would be Army Corps temporary hospitals and include SUNY Stonybrook, SUNY Westbury and Westchester Convention Center.

Cuomo announced Friday morning that all workers in nonessential businesses across the state are required to stay home in an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus.

The executive order takes effect Sunday evening, Cuomo said, and comes a day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, ordered the state’s nearly 40 million residents to stay home. The two states have a combined population of nearly 59 million people, meaning the two orders affect nearly 1 in 5 Americans.

Cuomo insisted he wasn’t issuing a “shelter in place” order, which he said referred to active shooter situations, but rather the state was “closing the valve” of everyday life to limit the outbreak. He urged New Yorkers to “remain indoors to the greatest extent.”

Civil fines and mandatory closures for businesses that don’t comply with the new mandate will be enforced beginning on Sunday, he announced.