New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that 299 people died due to the coronavirus on Friday and called it an “obnoxious and terrifying number.” It was the second day in a row the COVID-19 death toll in the state has been below 300. On Thursday, 289 people died due to the virus.
He said the number of overall hospitalizations and new hospitalizations per day had decreased.
Speaking at his daily coronavirus briefing, Cuomo also discussed a statewide antibody study, with 15,000 people sampled. He said it found that 12% of people sampled in the state had been infected with COVID-19 as of May 1. He said this showed a decrease in cases from last month.
Cuomo also said that New York City subway cars will be cleaned every 24 hours, and that public transportation workers in New York City will receive regular antibody tests.
“They are stepping up in a big, big way,” Cuomo said about MTA employees. At least 98 MTA workers have died of COVID-19.
Cuomo was asked about how four-hour subway closures every night would affect the homeless New Yorkers who normally sleep on the trains.
“You are not helping the homeless by leaving them on a subway car in the middle of a global pandemic,” Cuomo said, adding that he believed it was an “opportunity” to connect homeless people with resources. However, he said that handling this issue would be up to the city government.
The governor announced that the state would distribute $25 million to foodbanks across the state, with the majority going to the New York City region. However, he said the “state budget is very stressed,” and called on philanthropies to help vulnerable demographics in the state.
