This is our daily update of breaking COVID-19 news for Saturday, March 14th, 2020. Previous daily updates can be found here. Our guide to preparing for the spread of coronavirus is here, and if you have lingering questions about the virus, here is our regularly updated coronavirus FAQ. Here are some local and state hotlines for more information: NYC: 311; NY State Hotline: 888-364-3065; NJ State Hotline: 800-222-1222.
Here are some other related stories you might want to read (or listen to):
- The coronavirus pandemic is forcing many NYC restaurants and movie theaters to close.
- Some Brooklyn and Queens librarians are upset about having to report to work during the coronavirus crisis.
- This is what Broadway looked like when it went dark.
- NYC is halting evictions for one week.
- The Takeaway had a conversation about how low-income communities will be disproportionately affected.
- The Brian Lehrer Show looked at whether the U.S. hospital system can handle this pandemic.
Lastly, do you have a coronavirus-related tip or question? Email us at tips@gothamist.com
Two State Assembly Members Test Positive For Coronavirus, City Council Suspends Budget Talks And Hearings
10:20 p.m. Two state Brooklyn Assembly members, Helene Weinstein and Charles Barron, have been diagnosed as having COVID-19.
They are the first two elected officials in New York known to have contracted the virus.
Governor Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie issued the news in a press release Saturday evening.
Barron is 69, while Weinstein is 67. No details were provided on their condition or how they may have become infected.
The two Democrats have not been in Albany since early March for "separate reasons," according to the press release, which added that Assembly Speaker Heastie has been in contact with both of them.
"We have spoken with the Senate and are undertaking an intensive cleaning of the Capital and the Legislative Office Building," read the joint statement. "All legislators and staff that have come in contact with these members will be tested to ensure the safety of everyone."
Because of the confirmed cases, the state Capitol will be closed to visitors effective tomorrow.
Last week, Rick Cotton, the executive director of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, also tested positive. He is said to be working from home.
In separate news, the City Council and de Blasio administration have decided to suspend the deadlines for budget hearings. In addition, the Council will also not hold any land use votes, and its two required monthly meetings.
On Saturday night, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson wrote an email to his fellow councilmembers saying that that the mayor plans to issue the official order on Monday.
The City Council’s offices at 250 Broadway and in City Hall will also close "until further notice."
Council staff have been instructed to work from home.
Cuomo In Talks With NYC Healthcare Union To Close Schools
8:15 p.m. Governor Cuomo is in discussions with 1199 SEIU, the city's largest union that represents healthcare workers, to provide their members with childcare during the coronavirus crisis, paving the way for New York City to close its school system.
"We’re trying to be very creative where we would close schools in New York City but avert the negative," Cuomo said, during a telephone press briefing on Saturday evening.
"The main negative is losing health care workers," he said.
Assuming the schools do close, he raised the possibility of using summer school to make up missed lessons.
As of Saturday evening, the state now has 613 confirmed coronavirus cases, 187 more than the morning tally.
In New York City, 269 people have now tested positive, an increase of 115 over the morning.
The chorus of calls by City Council members, teachers and parents to close the city's schools has grown louder with every passing day. Under the state's order, all public schools must close for a period of 24 hours for disinfection if an individual tests positive for coronavirus.
Cuomo has left the decision of closing schools up to each locality. Mayor de Blasio has insisted on keeping the school system open, citing the need to keep New York City hospitals running and to provide meals and social services to the roughly 700,000 low-income children that attend public schools.
Six schools, along with a special education program, were forced to close this week following coronavirus concerns.
The city's major hospitals are bracing for a major surge in coronavirus patients. On Saturday, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital announced that it would postpone all elective surgeries until further notice. New York City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation plans to do the same, according to the New York Times.
"This is all going to come down to a hospital crisis assuming we can’t get the rate of spread of the disease down," Cuomo said.
Death In Rockland County Linked To Coronavirus
A 65-year-old Rockland County man who died on Thursday is the second known coronavirus death in the state, according to a county official.
The man was tested posthumously for the virus.
"The death we have been investigating within the Village of Suffern on March 12, 2020 has tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19)," said the Rockland County Medical Examiner, in a press release. "We are confirming that this is the first death in Rockland County due to COVID-19."
The man was described as having "other significant health problems which were likely contributory to death."
As of Saturday, Rockland County has 13 coronavirus cases.
2nd NJ Death Reported As State's COVID-19 Cases Climb To 69
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced on Saturday evening that a second New Jersey resident passed away from the novel coronavirus.
The woman died on Thursday, but officials only confirmed that she had COVID-19 on Saturday. The state's first coronavirus-related death was John Brennan, a 69-year-old Little Ferry resident who was a harness racing official at the Yonkers Raceway. Brennan's death caused the raceway to be closed.
There are currently 69 presumed cases in NJ.
National And Global Roundup: Travel Ban Extended To U.K. And Ireland, U.S. Cases Now Over 2,400
4:30 p.m. The U.S. travel ban on European countries will now be extended to the United Kingdom and Ireland. The new rule will go into effect Monday at midnight.
Vice President announced the news on Saturday during a White House press conference.
On Wednesday night, President Trump announced that travelers coming from 26 European countries would be barred from entering the U.S. beginning on Friday. But the measure had excluded the U.K. and Ireland.
The bans do not apply to U.S. citizens and legal residents seeking to return home.
There are now at least 2,443 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. At least 50 people have died from the disease.
At the press conference, President Trump revealed that he had also taken a coronavirus test on Friday evening, but the results were not back yet. He said his temperature has been normal. Questions about Trump's health swirled after it was revealed that he had hosted a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort with President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and a member of his delegation who had tested positive for the virus. The White House initially said Trump would not be tested.
The president also said he was prepared to sign a relief bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday that will assist vulnerable Americans impacted by coronavirus by increasing sick leave, unemployment insurance, and food stamps. The bill also ensures free testing for the virus.
The U.S. Senate is expected to take up the proposal next week.
Appearing at a press conference with Mayor de Blasio at City Hall on Saturday, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said the bill was "aimed at families and working people." He called on the Senate to pass the bill as it currently written when it reconvenes on Monday.
Outside the U.S., the coronavirus pandemic is hitting Europe hard and forcing some countries to take more drastic measures.
On Saturday, France ordered the closing of all non-essential businesses as of midnight. The measure applies to restaurants, bars, and movie theaters. Only food stores, pharmacies, banks and gas stations may remain open.
France now has at least 4,500 confirmed coronavirus cases. There have been 91 deaths.
Across the globe, more than 153,000 people have become infected. At least 5,736 people have died.
Public School In Staten Island Has Student Who Tested Positive
2:44 p.m. A middle school in Staten Island is reporting a confirmed case of COVID-19 and will be closed this weekend for cleaning.
The school, I.S. 27, also known as Anning S. Prall intermediate school, serves grades 6 through 8. It has an enrollment of roughly 1,000 students.
Mayor de Blasio interrupted his press conference to make the announcement. He said the student had recently been absent and was not present at school with symptoms. He said, according to state guidelines, the school will be closed for disinfection. It will reopen on Monday.
The school's website posted a letter from New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza informing families about the positive test and the measures being taken.
Over the last week, there have been several city school closings due to coronavirus concerns. On Friday, two Staten Island schools, New Dorp High School and the Hungerford School, which share a building, were forced to close their doors after a Hungerford student tested positive for coronavirus. Both schools are also scheduled to reopen on Monday.
Despite mounting pressure from City Council members, parents and teachers, Mayor de Blasio has remained firm about keeping the city public school system open. He has argued schools, mass transit and the healthcare system are interconnected. A closure of schools would make it difficult for essential workers, such as doctors, nurses and transit workers, to go to work.
With 1.1 million students, New York City has the largest school system in the country.
"I'm holding where we are right now," he said, when asked if he would change his mind.
Brooklyn Firefighter Tests Positive For Coronavirus
2:00 p.m. A Brooklyn firefighter has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the second known first responder in New York City to contract the disease.
At a press conference, Mayor de Blasio said the individual worked from Sunday to Tuesday and went home on Tuesday with symptoms. He was tested positive late Friday and is currently under quarantine.
The mayor said the firefighter did not respond to medical runs or treat patients, but 31 members of the undisclosed fire station were immediately put under quarantine. The fire house is being cleaned and should be back in operation by 6 p.m. Saturday. In the meantime, other area fire stations can serve as backup in the interim.
Earlier this week, an EMS worker who works for the FDNY in Brooklyn tested positive. As a result, 19 FDNY members and five EMS workers were forced to self-quarantine. Eleven patients were notified. The man was said to have contracted the disease through his girlfriend who worked as a flight attendant.
New York City Has 213 Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
1:15 p.m. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York City is now 213, an increase of 59 overnight.
The five boroughs now have more people who have tested positive than Westchester County, which has 174 infections. Westchester had previously been the site of the largest cluster of coronavirus cases in the state, many of them connected to Lawrence Garbuz, a 50-year-old New Rochelle attorney who worked in Manhattan.
On Friday, the state opened its first drive-through testing center in New Rochelle. On Saturday, Governor Cuomo said another drive-through testing facility would open in Long Island by the end of next week. Nassau County has 68 confirmed cases, while Suffolk has 33.
Mayor de Blasio is expected to hold a press conference this afternoon.
First Individual With COVID-19 In New York State Dies
11:40 a.m. An 82-year-old Brooklyn woman who had contracted the coronavirus died Friday night.
It marks the first known death of a person who had the virus in New York state.
The woman also suffered from emphysema, a long-term lung disease. She was hospitalized at Wykoff Medical Center on March 3.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the death in a telephone news briefing Saturday morning. He was careful to say that it was not clear whether coronavirus caused her death.
He said the woman had been hospitalized before for emphysema and said that had she contracted the flu, she would have also likely had serious complications.
There are now 524 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, an increase of 100 overnight. Of the 524 people who have the virus, 117—or 22 percent—are hospitalized.
During a television appearance on MSNBC, Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged the woman's death and identified her as being from Brooklyn.
On March 5th, de Blasio described a woman in her 80s who had been hospitalized as "critically ill." At later press conference, he said he and other city officials were worried about her condition.
"We’ve known from the outset that these people are the most at risk in this pandemic, and today’s news is a sad confirmation of that reality," the mayor said in a statement following his television appearance. He urged New Yorkers to "take the necessary precautionary measures to protect the people most at risk.”
The state is continuing to expand testing. The governor reminded the public to expect the number of confirmed cases to continue to climb.
"We believe there are thousands...maybe tens of thousands who have coronavirus," he said.
The state plans to open a drive-through testing facility in Long Island next week. On Friday, New Rochelle, which has a large cluster of cases, opened its first drive-through testing site.
"The infection rate will be massive," Cuomo said. "The question is at what rate and can you slow the rate to meet the hospital capacity. That's the essential question for the nation."
Co-Payments For "Telemedicine" Will Be Waived In New York Due To Coronavirus
Governor Cuomo announced Saturday that insurance co-payments will be waived for "telemedicine" visits in New York, as part of an effort to deter sick people who are possibly infected with COVID-19 from rushing to doctor's offices and hospital emergency rooms.
The measure is the latest indication of the growing concern in New York that hospitals will become overwhelmed from coronavirus patients who might expose the disease to other patients and health care workers.
On Saturday, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital announced that it would postpone all elective surgeries until further notice. New York City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation plans to do the same, according to the New York Times. The two steps, which Cuomo had talked about this week, will help hospitals increase their capacity to admit patients.
Under telemedicine, doctors can communicate and assess patients' symptoms using technology such as video conferencing, as well as continue to monitor their health remotely.
"This is just another encouragement and benefit for people to do what it’s in their best interest," Cuomo said.
With reporting from Brigid Bergin, Jen Carlson, Jen Chung, and Jake Dobkin
