Governor says no visitors to nursing homes, limits public gatherings to 500 people

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 March 2020 at 4:31 pm

Governor Cuomo announced today that public gatherings will be limited to no more than 500 people, effective at 5 p.m. on Friday.

“Additionally, for facilities with an occupancy of 500 or fewer, we are reducing the legal capacity by 50 percent,” the governor said.

Cuomo is taking action to “reduce the density of people across the state.” The governor said the action is needed to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

There are now 328 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state. The breakdown by county includes: Westchester, 148; NYC, 95; Nassau, 41; Suffolk: 20; Rockland: 7; Ulster, 4; Saratoga, 3; Albany, 2; Monroe, 2; Orange, 2; Broome, 1; Delaware, 1; Dutchess, 1; Herkimer, 1.

The governor said the state is taking special precautions with nursing homes & senior care facilities. No non-medical staff will be permitted to visit nursing homes.

“We are requiring that all staff at nursing homes wear masks and be monitored for symptoms,” the governor said.

The state is also planning to create a reserve workforce of healthcare professionals in the event of a staffing shortage. Some potential reserve staff include National Guard medics, medical school staff, and former doctors and nurses.

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