NYS Coronavirus Update: Elective Surgeries to Resume in Much of Upstate -- COVID-19 Maternity Task Force Recommendations -- Video Tribute to Essential Workers

From Governor Cuomo @ 8:04 PM on April 29:
We have received thousands of masks from all across America. Homemade masks, hand-sewn, with beautiful notes attached, expressing thoughts like "We care, we love you, we want to help." That's what the people of this nation are all about — unity and solidarity in crisis. We continue to see a decline in hospitalization rates and we are increasing diagnostic testing statewide. We are working hard on planning for the future.

2. New York State is now conducting an average of 30,000 diagnostic tests for COVID-19 per day. We have been working with the federal government to double New York's testing capacity from 20,000 to 40,000 tests per day over several weeks. We are about halfway to our goal. (For context, New York State is already testing more per capita than any other state — or country.)

3. I have accepted the COVID-19 Maternity Task Force's initial recommendations. Many pregnant women have expressed concern about giving birth in a traditional hospital setting during this pandemic. In response, NYS established a task force to look into alternative birthing centers and to research the effect of Coronavirus on pregnancy. The task force's recommendations, released and adopted today, include increasing birthing site options, mandating testing for all pregnant patients, allowing doulas to be present during labor and delivery, and more. Read the task force's full report.

4. New York State tested a sample of first responders for COVID-19 antibodies, and the results are in. From a sample size of around 1,000 FDNY officers and EMTs and 1,000 NYPD officers from across all five boroughs, preliminary results show 17.1 percent of FDNY officers and EMTs are positive for COVID-19 antibodies and 10.5 percent of NYPD officers are positive for the antibodies.

5. Today, we started testing 1,000 transit workers for antibodies to further determine the spread of infections among our frontline workers. The State is working with BioReference to provide antibody tests to first responders and other essential workers from the MTA, State Police, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and others.

6. The current conditions of the New York City subways are unacceptable and pose a threat to public health. I am directing the MTA to issue a full plan by tomorrow, April 30th, on how it will clean and disinfect every train, every night in response to reported deteriorations of the conditions in the subways during the pandemic.

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