Coronavirus: New York City tops 2,000 cases as Cuomo orders 75% of workers to stay home

The city surpases Washington state in the number of confirmed infections

New York City has surpassed 2,000 coronavirus-positive cases, surpassing Washington state in the number of those infected.

The new numbers in New York state were revealed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo during his daily press conference, with the official saying he now orders all nonessential jobs to reduce their workforce by 75 per cent who come into the office. These jobs are now mandated to have a maximum of 25 per cent in the office as opposed to working from home.

In New York state, there are 4,152 people infected and 2,469 come from New York City. Death toll also increased with 21 people dying from the virus, an increase of one person from yesterday.

A huge jump in numbers, with 1,769 new cases, is partly due to the state aggressively testing nearly 8,000 people on Wednesday night to determine how the virus is spreading.

Washington state, which has been the epicentre of the virus in the US, was surpassed by both New York City and New York. The number of cases in Washington state remain at a confirmed 1,187 infected, as of Thursday morning.

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Mr Cuomo said he expects “tens of thousands” of cases will be determined across the state in the coming days. 

One goal Mr Cuomo and other New York officials are focusing on is reducing the density in New York state and New York City to prevent the virus from infecting more people. 

Measures are in place including the closure of bars, restaurants, gyms, and community venues. Reducing the workforce at nonessential jobs was also mandated. New York also banned social gatherings of 50 people or more, while the Trump administration advises for people to avoid gathering of 10 people or more across the nation. 

All of these measures are working to “flatten the curve” so Covid-19 does not overwhelm the healthcare industry in the coming weeks.

New York state has more than 50,000 hospital beds currently to help those infected. But the state anticipates it will need more beds for Covid-19 patients. Mr Cuomo met with the Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday to discuss building field hospitals in the state.

In the US, the number of coronavirus cases has topped 10,000 with 10,767 infected and 160 deaths.