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Gov. Cuomo Orders All NYers to Stay Home From Work Starting Sunday Evening

Governor Cuomo's Flickr page

New York has now followed California and is ordering that as of 8 PM Sunday , all state residents stop going to work and stay in their homes unless they are working at jobs considered essential or they need groceries, medicine or gasoline.

Governor Andrew Cuomo says he needs to take the step in order to curb the rapidly spreading corona virus.

This is the most drastic action we can take,” Cuomo said.

Only grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, pharmacies and hardware and home improvement stores will remain open, along with beverage centers and liquor stores. 

Earlier in the day, Cuomo, along with the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania ordered the closure of all barbershops, hair salons, tattoo or piercing parlors, nail salons, and other personal care businesses to close after 8 p.m. Saturday.

Violators will face civil fines.

The governor as recently as Wednesday, had criticized New York City Mayor Bill deBlasio, for recommending that the City adopt a shelter in place policy. At the time, Cuomo said it would cause panic.  Now, he says, staying  home is the best option to prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed.

New Yorkers will still be allowed to go outside in family groups to get exercise and fresh air, for activities like walking or hiking, as long as they remain 6 feet away from others at all times.

There are special rules for people over 70, and those with underlying health conditions or compromised immune systems. They should stay indoors, and go out only to do solitary exercise, wear a mask if they are in contact with anyone, and not take public transportation unless urgent and absolutely necessary. 

Cuomo, calls those measures, “Matilda’s Law”, for his 88 year old mother, Matilda Cuomo, who he says has been reluctant in the past to adopt some of the precautions.

"Everybody's mother, father, sister, friend in a vulnerable population...this is about protecting them."

If someone feels sick, they should seek a telehealth appointment, or call their doctor, and should not try to go to a doctor’s office.

Cuomo says he’s also trying to increase hospital capacity, and the state is  short by more than 50,000 beds .

The governor say all non-critical elective surgeries will be cancelled, beginning sometime next week.  He says that will free up between 25% and 35% of hospital beds. He also wants hospitals to make plans to squeeze more beds into their spaces.

State health officials are scouring med schools and nursing schools for volunteers, and asking that retired health care professionals come back to work.

The governor is also putting a call out to companies that make medical supplies, saying New York State will “pay a premium” if they can manufacture more masks, surgical gowns and gloves as soon as possible.

He says he’s also looking into expanding existing state prison operations, where uniforms are made for inmates, to find out whether they could switch to masks or surgical wear.

Cuomo says state officials have located some potential sites for temporary hospitals, including  the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, and State and City University campuses in New York and on Long Island, and Fordham and St John’s universities.  

But the governor say the hardest task remains getting enough ventilators.

Meanwhile, the state Education Department and Board of Regents cancelled the required standardized math and reading test for grades three through eight for this year, saying schools need to focus on meeting community needs right now. All of the schools in the state are closed indefinitely.

And school budget and school board elections scheduled for May are increasingly in question. The New York State School Boards Association is urging candidates for their local boards of education not to go door-to-door collecting signatures on petitions to get on the ballot.

In a statement, the group’s executive Robert  Schneider, says  "at this point in time, public health is the paramount concern."

Guidance on "essential services" under the "New York State on Pause" Executive order is below:

1. Essential Health Care Operations, Including:

•             research and laboratory services

•             hospitals

•             walk-in-care health facilities

•             emergency veterinary and livestock services

•             elder care

•             medical wholesale and distribution

•             home health care workers or aides for the elderly

•             doctor and emergency dental

•             nursing homes, or residential health care facilities or congregate care facilities

•             medical supplies and equipment manufacturers and providers

2. Essential Infrastructure, Including:

•             utilities including power generation, fuel supply and transmission

•             public water and wastewater

•             telecommunications and data centers

•             airports/airlines

•             transportation infrastructure such as bus, rail, or for-hire vehicles, garages

•             hotels, and places of accommodation

3. Essential Manufacturing, Including:

•             food processing, manufacturing agents, including all foods and beverages

•             chemicals

•             medical equipment/instruments

•             pharmaceuticals

•             sanitary products

•             telecommunications

•             microelectronics/semi-conductor

•             agriculture/farms

•             household paper products

4. Essential Retail, Including:

•             grocery stores including all food and beverage stores

•             pharmacies

•             convenience stores

•             farmer's markets

•             gas stations

•             restaurants/bars (but only for take-out/delivery)

•             hardware and building material stores

5. Essential Services, Including:

•             trash and recycling collection, processing and disposal

•             mail and shipping services

•             laundromats

•             building cleaning and maintenance

•             child care services

•             auto repair

•             warehouse/distribution and fulfillment

•             funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries

•             storage for essential businesses

•             animal shelters

6. News Media

7. Financial Institutions, Including:

•             banks

•             insurance

•             payroll

•             accounting

•             services related to financial markets

8. Providers of Basic Necessities to Economically Disadvantaged Populations, Including:

•             homeless shelters and congregate care facilities

•             food banks

•             human services providers whose function includes the direct care of patients in state-licensed or funded voluntary programs; the care, protection, custody and oversight of individuals both in the community and in state-licensed residential facilities; those operating community shelters and other critical human services agencies providing direct care or support

9. Construction, Including:

•             skilled trades such as electricians, plumbers 

•             other related construction firms and professionals for essential infrastructure or for emergency repair and safety purposes

10. Defense

•             defense and national security-related operations supporting the U.S. Government or a contractor to the US government

11. Essential Services Necessary to Maintain the Safety, Sanitation and Essential Operations of Residences or Other Essential Businesses, Including:

•             law enforcement

•             fire prevention and response

•             building code enforcement

•             security

•             emergency management and response

•             building cleaners or janitors

•             general maintenance whether employed by the entity directly or a vendor

•             automotive repair

•             disinfection

12. Vendors that Provide Essential Services or Products, Including Logistics and Technology Support, Child Care and Services:

•             logistics

•             technology support for online services

•             child care programs and services

•             government owned or leased buildings

•             essential government services

Houses of worship are not ordered closed however it is strongly recommended no congregate services be held and social distance maintained.