Governor Andrew Cuomo says the increase in hospitalizations overnight from COVID-19 is the lowest since they started keeping track...but the number of people dying every day from the disease has been over 700 for the last five days. The governor said in his daily briefing that the hospitalization numbers have flattened out, but remain at a high plateau of more than 18,000 patients.
As for when the economy can reopen, Cuomo said he's working with the governors of neighboring states on a regional approach to starting business and schools again. He says it will coordinated and based on public health advice to avoid a rebound of the disease. He said nothing about when it might happen.
Governor Cuomo says he and the governor of Maryland have issued a joint statement calling for the federal government to come up with another stimulus bill that supports the states when they go to reopen. He says all states will be running budget deficits because of the pandemic and the shutdown, and only the federal government can bail them out.
Finally, the governor said he's signed an executive order that requires employers to provide free masks to employees who must deal with the public.