Suffolk County has 116 confirmed COVID-19 cases, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said Wednesday.
He said the number of positive cases statewide exceeded 2,000, growing by more than 1,000 from the previous day. New York has 2,382 confirmed cases, the governor said, with: 1,339 in New York City, 183 in Nassau County and 116 in Suffolk County.
He said the federal government will be sending the USNS Comfort, a 1,000-bed hospital ship, to serve New York City. Another ship, the USNS Mercy, will be deployed on the west coast.
The governor said businesses must work to reduce density by operating with no more than 50 percent of their employees. This excludes establishments that provide essential services, including, food, pharmacies, health care, shipping and supplies.
White House task force briefing
President Donald J. Trump, in a news briefing that aired a short while later, said the administration is invoking the Defense Production Act, which will free up resources for use in the hardest hit areas.
By mutual consent, the governments of the U.S. and Canada decided to close borders for all but non-essential travel, he said.
Vice President Mike Pence said testing is increasing rapidly and that all medical personnel are being granted permission to practice across state lines.
Here in Suffolk County, a mobile testing site is being constructed at Stony Brook University Hospital, county officials said. eople concerned that they may have the virus will not be able to simply appear at the site, officials say. They’ll have to go through a screening process first.