Press release:
- State will distribute more than 7 million more cloth masks to vulnerable New Yorkers and frontline workers across the State.
- State is distributing $25 million to food banks across the State through the Nourish New York Initiative.
- Confirms 4,663 additional coronavirus cases in New York State -- bringing statewide total to 312,977; new cases in 44 counties.
- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo: "Uncharted waters doesn't mean proceed blindly, right? It means get information, get data, the best you can, and use that data to decide where you're going. So, especially in this situation, you have so much emotion, you have politics, you have personal anxiety that people feel, social anxiety, social stress. Let's stick to the facts, let's stick to the data, let's make sure we're making the best decisions with the best information that we have."
- Cuomo: "We want people to know who need to use the subways and buses, because they are working, that they're safe. And the essential workers who have kept this entire society functioning have done an extraordinary job, and we want them to know that we're doing everything we can do to keep them safe."
- Earlier today, Governor Cuomo announced the results of the state's completed antibody testing study show 12.3 percent of the population have COVID-19 antibodies. The survey developed a baseline infection rate by testing 15,000 people at grocery stores and community centers across the state over the past two weeks. Of those tested, 11.5 percent of women tested positive and 13.1 percent of men tested positive. A regional breakdown of the results is below:
Region
Percent Positive
Capital District
2.2%
Central NY
1.9%
Finger Lakes
2.6%
Hudson Valley
(Without Westchester/Rockland)
3%
Long Island
11.4%
Mohawk Valley
2.7%
North Country
1.2%
NYC
19.9%
Southern Tier
2.4%
Westchester/Rockland
13.8%
Western NY
6%
The Governor also announced that the state will distribute over seven million more cloth masks to vulnerable New Yorkers and essential workers across the state. The masks will be distributed as follows:
- 500,000 for NYCHA residents;
- 500,000 for farmworkers;
- 1 million for vulnerable populations, including the mental health and developmentally disabled communities;
- 500,000 for homeless shelters;
- 2 million for elderly New Yorkers and nursing homes;
- 1 million for faith-based organizations and food banks.
- 2 million for grocery stores, supermarkets, and food delivery workers.
The Governor also announced the state is distributing $25 million to food banks across the state through the Nourish New York Initiative. The Nourish New York initiative, announced earlier this week by Governor Cuomo, is working to quickly reroute New York's surplus agricultural products to the populations who need them most through New York's network of food banks. Funding will be distributed as follows:
- New York City Region: $11 million
- Westchester Region: $1 million
- Long Island Region: $1.6 million
- Capital/Hudson Valley Region (includes portion of North Country and Mohawk Valley): $4.4 million
- Central NY Region (includes portion of North Country and Mohawk Valley): $2.2 million
- Southern Tier Region: $1.1 million
- Western New York Region: $2.1 million
- Finger Lakes Region (includes portion of Southern Tier): $1.7 million
