NYC Must Decrease Crowding, Should Open Streets: Cuomo

NEW YORK CITY — After witnessing New Yorkers flock to parks and farmers markets during a trip to the city Saturday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered local officials to come up with an immediate plan to decrease crowding and slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Cuomo on Sunday asked city officials to send him a plan within the next 24 hours to combat the "wholly inappropriate" density he said was rampant this weekend in New York City — and he wants them to get creative.

"I was in these parks," Cuomo said during a news conference midday Sunday. "You would not know that anything is going on. This is just a mistake."

Cuomo suggested closing city streets to traffic to give New Yorkers more space to spread out, but he said he would leave that decision up to local officials.

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The mayor's office is considering opening streets and schoolyards to the public, but officials say such measures would require increased enforcement.

"The city has already banned team sports and revoked all permits for large gatherings and has increased the presence of NYPD and Parks Enforcement Patrol officers to enforce social distancing," City Hall spokesperson Jane Meyer said in an emailed statement. "We are evaluating these efforts and considering expanded restrictions."

Cuomo's directive comes as the COVID-19 death toll rises to 63 in New York City, with an estimated 1,450 people hospitalized and 370 in intensive care units.

There were 9,654 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in New York City as of 10 a.m. Sunday, according to the mayor's office — roughly a third of the number of confirmed cases nationwide.

New York officials are ramping up measures to slow the spread of the new coronavirus before it overwhelms the city and state health care systems, which face imminent mass shortages of medical supplies like ventilators and personal protective equipment for medical workers and first responders.

Starting 8 p.m. Sunday, a statewide stay-at-home order will limit outdoor activity to essential tasks like grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions. Seniors over 70 and anyone with underlying health conditions or a weakened immune system must stay indoors except for "solitary exercise," according to Cuomo.

All other people must cancel non-essential gatherings and stay at least six feet away from others.

Flouting the rules could bring a civil penalty, Cuomo said.

"This is not voluntary, it's not helpful hints," Cuomo said Saturday. "There can be mandatory closures for businesses that don't comply."

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