Coronavirus: NY Schools Close For 2 More Weeks

NEW YORK, NY — New York schools will remain closed for another two weeks as cases of the new coronavirus continue to increase, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday morning. Schools will now be closed until at least April 15, Cuomo said, adding that the peak number of hospitalizations is expected to come in 21 days. After two weeks, officials will reassess the school situation.

More than 138,000 tests have been administered statewide, with 16,000 taken Thursday, Cuomo said. The number of positive tests came to about 44,000, with 6,481 hospitalized and 1,583 receiving intensive care treatment. The death toll climbed to 519 in New York, up from 385.

"That is going to continue to go up and that is the worst news," Cuomo said.

Some people have been on ventilators for weeks, he said, which is behind the spike in deaths. The longer someone is on a ventilator, the more likely they are to die, he said.

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"Again we expect that to continue to increase," he said. "It's bad news. It's tragic news. It's the worst news. But it's not unexpected news either."

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 people have been discharged from the hospital.

Cuomo delivered some good news, noting that the rate of hospitalizations went from doubling every 2.5 days March 17-19 to doubling every four days March 24-26.

"We want to see the rate slowing," he said. "Then we want to say the number of cases flatten."

Worldwide, there have been more than 542,000 cases and about 24,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

After the state asked for medical staff volunteers, more than 62,000 people signed up, Cuomo said. That includes an increase of about 10,000 in one day.

Moreover, about 10,000 mental health professionals have volunteered to help provide free services to those affected by the outbreak.

Cuomo praised the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for converting the Javits Convention Center in New York into a makeshift hospital.

"You are the best of us," Cuomo said of the Army Corps. "You've done such a good job I'm asking for four more from the president."

Cuomo called COVID-19 an "invisible" and "insidious beast."

"This is a moment that will change the nation and forges character," he said. "Ten from now you’ll be talking about today to your children or grandchildren. And you will shed a tear because you’ll remember the lives lost."

In response to a reporter's question, Cuomo said the ventilators New York asked for are being stockpiled around the state and haven't all been deployed since they're not needed yet. While the state may not need 30,000 ventilators during the peak, Cuomo said he can only prepare based on the projected apex, which is based on data and science.

"I hope we don't need 30,000 ventilators," he said.

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