NY Stay-at-Home Order Extended Until April 15

updated 1:30 a.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended the stay-at-home order Sunday until April 15 as the Covid-19 epidemic continues. The order shutting non-essential businesses, and cutting the workforce, first took effect Monday. 

Sunday night, the state fatality total passed 1,000 after New York City reported that 237 people had died since the day before. In Suffolk County, the following numbers were reported. There have been 40 deaths including three new cases: one patient in their 30s, two in their 60s.

Total Cases: 4,138 New: 753
Start of day: 3,385
Township: Babylon 476
Township: Brookhaven 517 
Township: East Hampton 20
Township: Huntington 641 
Township: Islip 699  
Township: Riverhead 60
Township: Shelter Island 1 
Township: Smithtown 178 
Township: Southampton 72 
Township: Southold 131 

Cuomo also announced that New York State’s Wadsworth Lab has developed a new, less intrusive test for COVID-19. The new test is done through a saliva sample and a self-administered short nasal swab in the presence of a health care professional. Additionally, health care professionals can self-administer the test without another health care professional present.

This new test will help conserve personal protective equipment, or PPE, for healthcare workers, reduce potential exposure of the virus to health care workers and will allow the state to continue to test as many individuals as possible in New York amid the national shortage of the more intrusive nasopharyngeal, or NP, swabs. Self-collection of nasal swabs has been done before for other respiratory viruses such as flu and it has been shown to be effective and safe, and collection of a saliva sample is simple and non-invasive. This new testing will begin within a week.

The governor also  announced that pharmacies have agreed to offer free home delivery to help reduce long lines for prescriptions at their facilities.

 

 

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