New York Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed seven deaths in the state from Covid-19 and urged President Donald Trump to deploy army engineers to build emergency medical facilities to help ease the health burden caused by the virus.
Five of the deaths were in New York City, the governor told the press during a special briefing on Monday. The jump in confirmed cases of the virus is due to increased testing in the state, he added.
Cuomo also confirmed the introduction of severe crowd limiting measures, including closing all casinos, gyms, and cinemas across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut from 8pm local time. Bars and restaurants will only be allowed to operate takeout and delivery services in the tri-state area.
He said the main aim at this point is to slow the spread of the virus and prevent an onslaught of cases crashing the health system. The best way to manage this, the governor said, is through social distancing.
The closures follow similar measures elsewhere in the US as more state governors in recent days increasingly urged people to adhere to social distancing recommendations, and implemented restrictions on some areas of public life.
There have been at least 67 deaths in the US from Covid-19, which can cause severe respiratory problems, and over 3,600 confirmed cases.
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