Some with COVID-19 improve; businesses see new limits
A look at developments Wednesday in the coronavirus outbreak in New York:
Recovery and improvement
A hospitalized lawyer from a New York City suburb connected to one of the earliest U.S. coronavirus clusters is improving and talking to his family via FaceTime.
Adina Lewis Garbuz posted on Facebook that her husband, Lawrence Garbuz, is “awake and alert and seems to be on the road to full recovery.” He had been in serious condition at a New York City hospital earlier this month.
He is connected to a large cluster in New Rochelle, in suburban Westchester County, that included his family and people at his synagogue.
Adina Garbuz, who is under quarantine, said her husband is only aware now of his diagnosis.
“(H)e is trying to comprehend a world where no one goes out, no social gatherings, no religious services, no Purim!! But he seems to be quickly adding it all up,” she wrote.
Also, the first person to test positive for the coronavirus in New York appears to be free of it after recovering at home, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The 39-year-old Manhattan woman had returned in February with her husband from Iran, a hotspot for the virus. The unidentified health care worker had been recovering from home and was not hospitalized.
For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death. The vast majority of people recover.
New York state has more than 2,300 confirmed cases. More than 1,000 of those were reported Wednesday, reflecting not only of the spread of virus but a dramatic increase in testing.
There have been at least 20 deaths statewide and around 550 hospitalizations. The governor said more than 100 people who tested positive have recovered.
Mall closures
Indoor portions of shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
must close by 8 p.m. Thursday, the states’ governors said.
The states have already coordinated on the temporary closure of movie theaters, gyms and other measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Reducing in-office staff
Cuomo is requiring many businesses in New York to decrease their in-office workforce by 50 percent, the latest in a series of restrictions to keep the virus from spreading.
He said the executive order, effective Friday, will exempt businesses providing essential services, including media, warehouses, grocery and food production facilities, pharmacies, health care providers, utilities and banks, and other industries critical to the supply chain.
The state already has similar work-from-home rules for public workers.
Cuomo said that he understood the order would be a burden on businesses, but that dealing with the unprecedented health crisis at hand is the priority.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio continued to suggest there could soon be a “shelter-inplace” order similar to one imposed in the San Francisco Bay Area, limiting movement to only certain purposes deemed essential. Cuomo has said that he’s not planning to lock people in their homes, and that any measures need to be statewide. De Blasio said he expected discussions between the two to continue Thursday. Both are Democrats.
Budget bite
New York could lose $4 billion to $7 billion in tax revenues over the next year because of the coronavirus, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
Losses are expected amid the economic slowdown and volatility in the markets.
The state had projected $87.9 billion in revenue next year.
“Economic forecasters are currently unable to rule out a more severe recession or sharper stock market declines; if either occurs, the revenue outlook could be significantly worse,” DiNapoli said.
Hospital ship due in NYC
A 1,000-bed Navy hospital ship will be sent to New York to relieve pressure on hospitals bracing for an expected surge in coronavirus patients, officials announced Wednesday.
The USNS Comfort, which was sent to New York after 9/11, would bolster the health care system by treating non-coronavirus patients while hospitals treat people with COVID-19.
The announcement of the Comfort’s planned deployment comes as New York City-area hospitals are clearing out beds, setting up new spaces to triage patients and urging people with mild symptoms to consult health professionals by phone or video chat instead of overrunning emergency rooms.
The Navy said in a statement that it was “working to complete scheduled maintenance cycles and identify necessary medical staffing to deploy as soon as possible.” Cuomo said the ship was likely to arrive by mid-April.