Some New Yorkers with COVID-19 improve; new business limits
A look at developments Wednesday in the coronavirus outbreak in New York:
RECOVERY AND IMPROVEMENT
A hospitalized lawyer from a New York City suburb connected to one of the earliest U.S. coronavirus clusters is improving and talking to his family via FaceTime.
Adina Lewis Garbuz posted on Facebook that her husband, Lawrence Garbuz, is “awake and alert and seems to be on the road to full recovery.” He had been in serious condition at a New York City hospital earlier this month.
He is connected to a large cluster in New Rochelle, in suburban Westchester County, that included his family and people at his synagogue.
Adina Garbuz, who is under quarantine, said her husband is only aware now of his diagnosis.
“(H)e is trying to comprehend a world where no one goes out, no social gatherings, no religious services, no Purim!! But he seems to be quickly adding it all up,” she wrote.
Also, the first person to test positive for the coronavirus in New York appears to be free of it after recovering at home, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The 39-year-old Manhattan woman had returned in February with her husband from Iran, a hotspot for the virus. The unidentified health care worker had been recovering from home and was not hospitalized.
For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death. The vast majority of people recover.
New York state has more than 2,300 confirmed cases. More than 1,000 of those were reported Wednesday, reflecting not only of the spread of virus but a dramatic increase in testing.
There have been at least 20 deaths statewide and around 550 hospitalizations. The governor said more than 100 people who tested positive have recovered.
___
SICK LEAVE
Cuomo signed a law Wednesday allowing New Yorkers under quarantine or isolation orders to receive sick leave and paid leave benefits to make up for lost wages.
Businesses with 100 or more employees would provide workers who get sick or are quarantined with at least 14 days of paid sick leave under the bill, which requires unpaid sick leave or at least five paid sick days for other workers.
The bill is effective immediately.
___
MALL CLOSURES
Indoor portions of shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania must close by 8 p.m. Thursday, the states’ governors said.
The states have already co-ordinated on the temporary closure of movie theatres, gyms and other measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“This is a fast moving and quickly evolving public health emergency, and making these kinds of important decisions as a region makes more sense than a patchwork approach,” Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said in a prepared release.
____
REDUCING IN-OFFICE STAFF
Cuomo is requiring many businesses in New York to decrease their in-office workforce by 50%, the latest in a series of restrictions to keep the virus from spreading.
He said the executive order, effective Friday, will exempt businesses providing essential services including media, warehouses, grocery and food production facilities, pharmacies, health care providers, utilities and banks, and other industries critical to the supply chain.
The state already has similar work-from-home rules for public workers.
Cuomo said that he understood the order would be a burden on businesses, but that dealing with the unprecedented health crisis at hand is the priority.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio continued to suggest there could soon be a “shelter-in-place” order similar to one imposed in the San Francisco Bay Area, limiting movement to only certain purposes deemed essential. Cuomo has said that he’s not planning to lock people in their homes, and that any measures need to be statewide. De Blasio said he expected discussions between the two to continue Thursday. Both are Democrats.
___
BUDGET BITE
New York could lose out on $4 billion to $7 billion in tax revenues over the next year because of the coronavirus, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
Losses are expected amid the economic slowdown and volatility in the markets.
The state had projected $87.9 billion in revenue next year.
“Economic forecasters are currently unable to rule out a more severe recession or sharper stock market declines; if either occurs, the revenue outlook could be significantly worse,” DiNapoli said.
___
The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
