Coronavirus In Hudson Valley: 161 Cases, More Schools Close

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — More schools closed in the Hudson Valley are closing as the number of cases of the new coronavirus reached 178 in the region on Friday. At the same time, a mile-wide containment zone took effect in New Rochelle, the epicenter of New York's outbreak. Westchester County, with 158 cases, still has the most cases in the state, accounting for 42 percent of the 421 total.

Fifty people have been hospitalized in New York, 18 of whom are in intensive care units, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday afternoon. New York is poised to see a dramatic increase in testing after federal health officials authorized the state to allow 28 labs to perform testing. With the new capacity, the state will be able to conduct about 6,000 tests per day he said. To date, about 3,000 have been conducted total.

"We’re in the boiler room now turning on the valves," Cuomo said.

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Amid fears over the virus, all Mamaroneck public schools planned to close at the end of the school day Friday for two weeks and the City School District of New Rochelle will close all schools from Friday until at least March 25. The Archdiocese of New York also said it would close all elementary schools from Monday until at least March 20.

See also: Hudson Valley School Districts Announce Changes, Closings: List

In Rockland County, lawmakers canceled committee meetings and restructured their full board meetings.

And while there have been no reports of scams in Westchester, prosecutors ordered the Westchester Intelligence Center to monitor interagency data and alerts for potential fraud. Authorities will also monitor social media, looking for accounts that are spreading false information and trolling for cybervictims.

After an unusual quiet hovered over the usually-bustling New Rochelle community this week, a mile-wide containment area centered on Young Israel of New Rochelle took effect, with the National Guard distributing food and supplies and helping to clean public facilities. a Jewish synagogue at the heart of one of the country's largest cluster of COVID-19 cases.

Concerns over the virus — which has infected more than 127,000 people worldwide and caused about 4,700 deaths — have had far-reaching effects. In a series of drastic moves, the NBA, NHL and MLS all suspended their seasons. The NCAA canceled its March Madness tournaments and the PGA Tour canceled the Players Championship after the first round. The virus also prompted President Donald Trump to restrict travel from Europe. On Thursday, the stock market saw more chaos, with stocks plummeting so fast that trading had to be halted for the second time this week.

Cuomo said things may not return to normal for weeks — or months.

"This is not going to be a quick situation. This is going to be weeks or months," Cuomo said. "This is not going to be returned to normal next week. So prepare yourself."

In New York, school districts, colleges, universities and event organizers have been forced to make swift and dramatic pivots. New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade — one of the largest celebration's of the holiday in the world — was postponed. The Rockland County St. Patrick's Day Parade, the state's second-largest, was also canceled, as were parades planned in White Plains, Yonkers, Eastchester, Mount Kisco and Peekskill.

Six Westchester court rooms had to be closed for cleaning. Workers who had contact with an attorney infected with the virus would be placed into a precautionary quarantine.

In Ulster, the second case, announced Wednesday, the infected person may have come in contact with employees in the Wallkill Central School District.

The Town of Somers saw its first case this week, forcing officials to cancel a board meeting and public hearings on proposed law changes.

In New Rochelle, a senior center that serves vulnerable populations closed indefinitely. Staffers planned to identify seniors in need of support services, including meals. And with three of the city's schools ordered to close, the New Rochelle school district said local community groups are helping with a food shortage experienced by some students during the two-week hiatus. More than 2,800 students are dependent of the school system for meals, district officials said.

New York Case Count (as of Friday afternoon)

• Overall: 421 (96 new)
• Albany: 2
• Broome: 1
• Delaware: 1
• Dutchess: 3
• Herkimer: 1
• Monroe: 1
• Nassau: 51
• New York City: 154
• Orange: 3
• Rockland: 9
• Saratoga: 3
• Schenectady: 1
• Suffolk: 28
• Ulster: 5
• Westchester: 158

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