New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo briefing on updates on spread of covid-19 in New York State at NYPA White Plains Office.
Lev Radin | Pacific Press | Getty Images
Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on Saturday after the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in New York increased to 76.
Eleven of the cases are in New York City and 57 are in Westchester County. There are also signals of an ongoing spread, including a pair of cases in both Saratoga County and Rockland County, as well as four in Nassau County, according to the governor.
An emergency declaration will allow the state to buy supplies and hire workers more quickly and easily to help the health departments monitoring patients under self-quarantine, Cuomo said during a Saturday press conference at the state Capitol.
The slew of cases in Westchester County trace back to a lawyer from Westchester, who was the second confirmed case in the state.
“Westchester is an obvious problem for us,” Cuomo said. “They talk about the contagion in clusters, and the clusters tend to infect more and more people.”
As of Friday, New York officials said that they’ve instructed about 4,000 people in the state to self-quarantine. At least 10 of the infected patients in New York are hospitalized, Cuomo said.
The coronavirus has infected more than 102,000 people worldwide and killed at least 3,491 as of Saturday.
In the U.S., more than 300 cases are confirmed and at least 14 people have died. California declared a state of emergency after the state announced its first virus-related death. Maryland, Washington state and Utah have also declared emergencies.
