BREAKING NEWS: Mayor Bill de Blasio declares a state of emergency in New York City and says the world has ‘turned upside down’ amid coronavirus outbreak that could last six months
- There are now 95 cases of coronavirus in the city of New York – 45 more than on Wednesday
- De Blasio predicts that there will be 1,000 cases in New York City next week
- Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency on Thursday which limits public gatherings
- No gathering of more than 500 people can now legally take place; businesses are being asked to only operate at 50 percent of their capacity
- De Blasio said he was worried about residents’ livelihoods and that the crisis could last six months
- Broadway plays will not run from Friday at 5pm and major NYC tourist hotspots are also shuttering temporarily
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared a state of emergency in the city of New York due the coronavirus outbreak.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared a state of emergency in the city of New York due the coronavirus outbreak.
He made the comment on Thursday afternoon and said the last 24 hours had been ‘very, very sobering’ and said the world had been turned ‘upside down’ in just a day.
There are now 95 confirmed cases in New York City, 45 more than yesterday.
The New York City breakdown is as follows; 25 in Manhattan, 24 Brooklyn, 17 in Queens, 10 in the Bronx and five in Staten Island.
There are 29 people in mandatory quarantine and 1,784 in mandatory quarantine.
He predicts that by next week, there will be 1,000 cases of coronavirus in New York City.
Gatherings of more than 500 people have now been banned and de Blasio warned sports arenas like the Barclay’s Center and Madison Square Garden will remain nonoperational for months.
Public spaces – like bars and restaurants – must now operate at 50 percent of their legal capacity.
Schools will remain open, he said, but activities like school plays, recitals, PTA meetings and assemblies, that can be moved online will be.
‘Yesterday morning feels like a long time ago. A lot has changed. Last night, the world turned upside down,’ he said.
‘This is painful. It’s not something we ever want to do but we have to do.
We are going to lose some of our fellow New Yorkers. That is inevitable
‘This is going to be a long, long battle. We are going to lose some of our fellow New Yorkers. That is inevitable,’ he said.
He said the numbers were ‘striking and troubling’ and that he was ‘very concerned about people’s livelihood’.
De Blasio said the one piece of good news he had to share was that one person who was in mandatory quarantine was not anymore.
‘We’re worried about folks paying the rent, we want to help people facing eviction – if it’s a legal matter we will get them free legal help,’ he went on.
‘We are concerned about people, again, who have less money because their employment has been compromised, running low on food for their families.’
A subway worker cleans the station on Wednesday., March 11. The subway remains open
The national guard in New Rochelle, which is a stone’s throw from the city
De Blasio said there was a potential case of a student at a school contracting the virus but the student has not yet been positively tested for it.
City workers who cannot work from home will now be staggered in their shifts.
He urged New York City businesses to encourage telecommuting – ie working from home – and staggering staff shifts as ‘much as possible’.
De Blasio said the city is committed to preserving schools, mass transit and the healthcare system ‘at all costs’.
They are tracking the number of hospital beds, ICU units and hospital equipment.