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WPCNR SATURDAY GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING. By John F. Bailey. May 2, 2020:
“Enforce the mask. The mask is not about your health, it’s about my health. Not wearing a mask is reckless and irresponsible. You don’t have the right to jeopardize human life,” Governor Andrew M. Cuomo stated, saying if local authorities could not enforce mask requirements effectively, the state would help them.
The strongest statement the Governor has made on the masking issue at the close of the reporters’ “Q & A.” today in Corona, Queens, New York City, when asked his reaction to a reporter’s description of a reopening demonstration that was not social distancing and not wearing masks
The Governor said he “got the fact” that people wanted to open and had every right to express their feelings, but “I disagree with that, I’m not going to put a dollar sign on human life.”
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on a beautiful Saturday morning today told counties, towns,, cities across the state to direct police, officials, supervisors to “Enforce the Mask,” when persons are appearing in public places without wearing one.
“New Yorkers bent that curve of infection,” Governor Cuomo had said earlier by observing social distancing, wearing masks and being responsible. “They proved the predictions wrong.”
This came at the end of the Governor’s daily briefing at Governor Cuomo said new net Hospitalization Rates were “down a tick,” and new coronavirus infections were 831 from 900, and presented Pat Foye, Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Susan Feinberg, Interim President of the MTA who went into cleaning procedures and riding schedules during 1 AM to 5 AM within a week to clean all subway trains overnight to protect essential workers from infection
Mr. Foye said 900 workers will be deployed to disinfect subway cars overnight with sprayed disinfectant on all surfaces. He said stations would be disinfected with the same cleaning spray with stations continually wiped down on railings and stairways throughout the day. He reported that private cleaning companies were being contracted to beef up the cleaning effort. Foye said the MTA is gathering data from organizations and merchants, deemed essential, on when their workers take the trains during the night hours and where they get on to assure stations are served by the subways in timely stops.
Ms. Feinberg said vans, buses, uber and lyft vehicles would be available for the essential workers during those hours, if there was no train when they would usually take it. It was not clear whether schedules of train stops on the various lines would be accelerated and more frequent, or less. Ms. Feinberg said information would be available on the MTA websites in a few days.
Questioned on where homeless persons who will be required to leave the train when it comes to the location where it will be cleaned, will be taken, Governor Cuomo said the city has been funded for homeless housing facilities, and it was up to the city to make those decisions where to house them. The governor added that the coronavirus problem has focused on the need to engage the homeless riding the subways to accept help and shelter from the city. “The first step is they have to leave the train.”
In his briefing, the governor said 15,000 antibody tests have been completed and the number of persons who were infected with coronavirus now make up 12.3% of the random persons tested. Breaking down the largest number of persons in New York City—the Bronx was the leading borough. He said hospitals would now be supplying data on the deomographicsl of patients they have helped, cured so the state can isolate professions and patterns to help tamp down the number of new infections.
The Governor did not provide more details on the announcement that all School District budget and elections would be held on June 9, and conducted by absentee ballot.
In a news release, just out, the Governor confirmed 4,663 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 312,977 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 312,977 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows (With metropolitan NY areas in boldface):
| County | Total Positive | New Positive |
| Albany | 1,238 | 34 |
| Allegany | 35 | 0 |
| Broome | 305 | 6 |
| Cattaraugus | 50 | 1 |
| Cayuga | 51 | 0 |
| Chautauqua | 35 | 0 |
| Chemung | 124 | 1 |
| Chenango | 99 | 0 |
| Clinton | 62 | 1 |
| Columbia | 205 | 3 |
| Cortland | 28 | 0 |
| Delaware | 61 | 0 |
| Dutchess | 3,049 | 47 |
| Erie | 3,598 | 117 |
| Essex | 28 | 0 |
| Franklin | 15 | 0 |
| Fulton | 79 | 4 |
| Genesee | 155 | 1 |
| Greene | 142 | 3 |
| Hamilton | 3 | 0 |
| Herkimer | 61 | 1 |
| Jefferson | 62 | 1 |
| Lewis | 9 | 0 |
| Livingston | 76 | 3 |
| Madison | 149 | 10 |
| Monroe | 1,534 | 56 |
| Montgomery | 54 | 0 |
| Nassau | 36,519 | 358 |
| Niagara | 457 | 17 |
| NYC | 172,354 | 2,664 |
| Oneida | 474 | 23 |
| Onondaga | 903 | 43 |
| Ontario | 92 | 1 |
| Orange | 8,910 | 159 |
| Orleans | 93 | 1 |
| Oswego | 66 | 2 |
| Otsego | 67 | 0 |
| Putnam | 1003 | 13 |
| Rensselaer | 311 | 13 |
| Rockland | 11,945 | 133 |
| Saratoga | 361 | 3 |
| Schenectady | 521 | 7 |
| Schoharie | 43 | 0 |
| Schuyler | 7 | 0 |
| Seneca | 42 | 1 |
| St. Lawrence | 176 | 0 |
| Steuben | 217 | 1 |
| Suffolk | 34,478 | 441 |
| Sullivan | 931 | 51 |
| Tioga | 90 | 0 |
| Tompkins | 128 | 0 |
| Ulster | 1,327 | 29 |
| Warren | 185 | 3 |
| Washington | 184 | 14 |
| Wayne | 73 | 2 |
| Westchester | 29,626 | 394 |
| Wyoming | 69 | 1 |
| Yates | 18 | 0 |