Coronavirus Latest: 5 Dead In NYC, Case Count Goes Up To 329

NEW YORK CITY - The number of New York City people killed by the new coronavirus rose to five Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The latest cases are a 53-year-old woman who had diabetes and heart disease, a 56-year-od man who had diabetes and a 78 year-old man who also had a pre-existing condition. The deaths of an 83-year-old woman and a 79-year-old woman were already announced.

There have now been 329 cases confirmed.

To keep up to date with coronavirus developments in NYC, sign up for Patch's news alerts and newsletter.

The mayor also said Sunday that elective surgeries at New York City hospitals would be canceled as medical facilities tried to make space to handle coronavirus cases.

De Blasio also announced that all city public schools will be closed, effective immediately. He warned they could be closed for the rest of the school year.

The mayor also responded to complaints that the city's nightlife venues had been flaunting new rules that cut their occupancy limits in half. He said city officials will be going out Sunday night and will hit venue owners ignoring the rule with $400 fines.

The mayor said he would consider any action needed as the pandemic progressed, including completely shutting down the city or putting curfews in place. "I'm not ruling anything out," he said.

He added: "I don't want to suggest we're at the point of saying, 'literally no one can go outside.' We may say that very, very soon."

Coronavirus In NYC: What's Happened And What You Need To Know