The latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic for April 16, 2020
NEW YORK - FOX 5 NY is updating this blog with the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak so you can get the information in one spot.
10:57 PM: Questions over how long the coronavirus can live in the system remain. FOX 5 NY spoke with one upstate NY couple who recovered after being infected with COVID-19, only to find out they still tested positive for the virus.
10:27 PM: As of April 16, there have been 27,772 confirmed coronavirus cases in Nassau County, and 1,100 people have died. Meanwhile, 24,812 confirmed coronavirus cases have been found in Suffolk County, and 693 people have died.
To the north, in Westchester County, there are 21,828 confirmed coronavirus cases, and 668 people have died.
9:25 PM: FDNY members visited Coney Island Hospital on Thursday evening to take part in #ClapBecauseWeCare and thank the heroes on the front lines of the city's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
9:10 PM: One Utah couple wasn’t going to have the wedding they dreamed of because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, but that wasn’t going to stop them from celebrating the happiest days of their lives.
While the outbreak added serious complications to their big day, Abby Holman and Brennan Norman decided to go forward with the wedding by hosting a drive-thru ceremony in which their guests remained in their cars or at a safe distance.
8:31 PM: In a sign that things are slowly improving, Boeing announced it will restart production of its commercial airplanes next week in the Seattle area, putting about 27,000 people back to work.
8:11 PM: According to Johns Hopkins University, 629,264 coronavirus cases have been found in the United States, and 26,708 people have died. 47,763 people have recovered.
7:26 PM: Hopeful talk about getting people out of their homes and back to work in some parts of the country seems a far cry from the harsh reality in New York and its suburbs: Thousands of people infected with the coronavirus are still streaming into hospitals every day.
6:50 PM: At the White House's daily Coronavirus Task Force Update, President Donald Trump introduced guidelines for governors to reopen their states and restoring normal activity after the coronavirus pandemic. The three-phased approach is aimed at easing restrictions in areas with low transmission of the coronavirus, while holding the line in harder-hit locations.
6:36 PM: The NYPD has announced that as of Thursday, 6,052 uniformed members of the NYPD were out sick, accounting for 16.7 percent of the Department’s uniformed workforce, down from a high of 19.8 percent.
Currently, 4,190 members of the NYPD have tested positive for coronavirus, and as of April 16, 1,450 members of the NYPD have returned to work after recovering from a positive test and 2,104 uniformed members and 609 civilian members are still out sick with coronavirus.
So far, 27 members of the NYPD have died due to coronavirus-related illness.
6:29 PM: Vice-President Mike Pence: “We are slowing the spread. We are flattening the curve.”
Pence says that the administration expects that they will have tested over 5 million Americans by the end of April.
6:20 PM: Trump says that so far, the U.S. has conducted 3.5M tests, more than anywhere else in the world and more per capita than anywhere else in the world.
6:18 PM: Trump says citizens will continue to be called upon to practice good hygiene, maintain social distancing and work from home if possible. He says governors will be empowered to tailor an approach that meets the needs of their state.
6:17 PM: Trump says that healthy Americans will be allowed to return to work as conditions on the ground allow, while protecting the highest-risk individuals.
6:16 PM: Trump: “We are not opening all at once, but one careful step at a time.”
6:14 PM: Trump says his administration is issuing new guidelines to allow governors to take a phased and individual approach to reopening their states.
6:13 PM: Trump says that based on the data, his administration is planning on opening up the country again soon.
“We must have a working economy and we want to get it back very, very quickly. I believe it will boom.”
6:11 PM: Trump: “Experts say the curve has flattened and the peak of new cases is behind us.”
6:10 PM: Trump says that the strategies the U.S. has taken to slow the spread of coronavirus have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
6:08 PM: At the White House's daily Coronavirus Task Force Update, President Trump thanked Americans for partaking in their shared national sacrifice to fight the spread of coronavirus.
5:41 PM: Starbucks is exploring plans to reopen its stores in the U.S. after weeks of limited service due to the coronavirus pandemic.
5:16 PM: Gov. Lamont says that contact tracing is key to fighting the pandemic and reopening the state.
4:58 PM: Governor Lamont says that it makes the most sense for states to work together regionally on reopening, regardless of plans from the federal government.
4:43 PM: Lamont says that by May 20, the state will have had enough testing done to begin considering who can reopen in the near-term.
4:39 PM: Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says that reopening the state will be done in conjunction with other states in the region, and that it is a business decision but also a public health decision.
3:15 PM: Amazon is reportedly trying to get customers to buy fewer items on its site as it struggles to keep up with demand during the coronavirus pandemic.
2:34 PM: Commissioner Persichilli says she just got word that out-of-state surveyers from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) have arrived at the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center to do a full survey of what is going on.
2:21 PM: Gov. Murphy: We need mass testing with fast turnaround so we can identify hotspots, contact trace, isolate, and have the confidence to begin reopening; hopefully by then researchers will have found safe and effective therapeutics that would bridge us to a vaccine.
2:15 PM: Gov. Murphy: We haven't felt we needed the National Guard to help enforce the executive orders; Col. Patrick Callahan, NJSP superintendent: We haven't seen many large groups violating the EOs in a way that would require help from the National Guard.
2:12 PM: Gov. Murphy: We are basing our decisions on the best information we have, the science, the data; sometimes we may not make the best call so we make adjustments if possible; we never make a decision for partisan/political reason.
2:02 PM: Commissioner Persichilli: Even the most stable person can be stressed out at a time like this; so mental health help and self-care are very important; we'll report on the data on hits to the hotline in the near future; regarding COVID hospitalizations, she says that hospital CEOs are reporting that "things are little bit calmer."
1:40 PM: Commissioner Persichilli: Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center is the state's largest long-term care facility (licensed 514 LT beds in 1 bldg, 159 in 2nd bldg); last Saturday, we were notified that the facility needed body bags and that 28 bodies were stored there; local health department notified; public health nurse and local officer visited the facility at 2 AM Sunday and reported adequate staff/PPE and saw 5 bodies; facility was required to report daily to local health dept and institute backup plan for storage of the deceased; after another complaint, facility owner was informed of concerns; additional staff are now on site.
1:38 PM: Commissioner Persichilli: Daily hospitalization rate is flat.
1:35 PM: New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli: We cannot overlook the mental health impacts of this pandemic; we are dealing with new stressors in our lives; Human Services Department has a helpline at 866-202-HELP (866-202-4357), 8 AM-8 PM, 7 days; hearing impaired call 973-870-0677, 9 AM-5 PM, weekdays.
1:32 PM: Gov. Murphy: "Keep up with your social distancing. Keep wearing your face coverings, even though it may be a nuisance, and even if you think you look silly. You'll look far sillier if you have to trade in a face covering for a hospital gown. We'll get through this together."
1:28 PM: Gov. Murphy: Board of NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency unanimously voted to suspend all rent increases at eligible properties within its portfolio; "This action specifically benefits thousands of low and moderate-income families who have been among those most-economically impacted by this crisis."
1:23 PM: Gov. Murphy appoints Dr. Rich Besser and Jeh Johnson to the multi-state board that will coordinate the reopening efforts in the region; Dr. Besser is president/CEO of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a former acting director of the CDC; Johnson is an attorney and served as secretary of homeland security under President Barack Obama.
1:21 PM: Gov. Murphy responds to the news of bodies found piled up in a makeshift morgue at the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center; he says he is heartbroken and outraged; he has directed the state attorney general to investigate.
1:19 PM: Gov. Murphy: Our schools will remain closed until at least Friday, May 15; I made this decision in consultation with the Health Department and Education Department; "We need to be guided by where the facts on the ground, science, and public health take us. That means it will not be safe to reopen our schools for at least another four weeks. I know this is hard. But we are saving lives and we must maintain the course."
1:18 PM: Gov. Murphy: We must continue to social distance; it is working; together, we will break the back of the curve.
1:14 PM: Gov. Murphy: Michael Burke of Little Falls has died; he was a member of the Singac Fire Company No. 3 for 48 years; "We mourn his passing alongside his family and the Little Falls community."
Michael Burke of Little Falls, N.J. (Via Gov. Phil Murphy's Office)
1:10 PM: Gov. Murphy: An additional 4,391 positive test results reported since yesterday; 75,317 total cases; 362 new deaths reported; death toll now 3,518.
1:08 PM: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy holds an update on the state's response to the coronavirus crisis | WATCH LIVE: https://fox5ny.com/live
12:27 PM: De Rosa: NYS Labor Dept. is dealing with a massive volume of unemployment claims; about 275,000 claims are outstanding.
12:15 PM: Melissa De Rosa, secretary to the governor: NYC's confirmed COVID-19 death count hasn't changed; based on new CDC guidelines, the city began reporting "probable" deaths from COVID as a separate count; media outlets conflated that separate count with the confirmed count to create a new, larger count; points out that this is from CDC (federal government) guidelines.
12:10 PM: Gov. Cuomo says he knows some people are opposed to wearing a face covering but he says it is an important step to help slow the spread.
12:03 PM: Gov. Cuomo: Wearing a mask is one of the best things you can do; passengers must wear a mask on public transportation, private transportation and for-hire vehicles; operators of public transportation, private carriers, and for-hire vehicles must wear a mask at all times.
12:00 PM: Gov. Cuomo: New York PAUSE, a.k.a. the shutdown, will be extended in coordination with other states through at least May 15; after that, I do not know; we will look at all the data around then.
11:55 AM: Gov. Cuomo: The models predicted much higher infections, hospitalizations, deaths; but mitigation (social distancing, stay-at-home orders) has dramatically helped so the challenge will be to watch the data when the ecomony reopens to monitor a rebound of the spread of the virus.
11:50 AM: Gov. Cuomo: We don't know how many people are infected; we only know who has been tested and/or are in hospitals or nursing homes; In March, CDC was projecting half to two-thirds if the entire nation could become infected; but we slowed the spread.
11:45 AM: Gov. Cuomo: Businesses will have to discuss many things: Protecting employees, clients, customers; what will be the new normal?
11:41 AM: Gov. Cuomo: Reopening the economy will come in phases with certain businesses opening first based on importance/risk; then also by percentages; coordinating with the other states will not always be in lockstep but hopefully not contradictory.
11:37 AM: Gov. Cuomo: Hospitalization rate is down; intubations are down; "This means we can control the beast"--that is the good news; the bad news is people are still being hospitalized every day and people are dying every day; 606 new deaths reported.
11:35 AM: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds an update on the state's response to the coronavirus crisis | WATCH LIVE: https://fox5ny.com/live
11:22 AM: Mayor de Blasio ends briefing.
11:20 AM: Asked about study that suggested most transmission comes through the subways. There is less and less people on the subways and we will keep that going.
11:15 AM: Asked about probable cases and what is the city doing to check on the people who haven't tested positive for COVID and die at home. Also asked about DOE and how they are reporting cases to the city. We'll get you an update on the DOE. On the folks, the people who have died at home, we still need more communication. A lot of it is people who don't speak English. We are going to follow up with telemedicine more. More outreach. We will get help to them.
11:12 AM: Asked about testing sites for people who don't have a car. The testing situation has to change profoundly. This is one of the saddest parts of the coronavirus. We don't have the amount of testing kits that we need. I made an announcement about those that we were able to purchase and make in the NYC, but that's only a piece. That's the next piece we are trying to work out. We still need the equipment.
11:05 AM: Asked about $7.5 billion from federal government and what will be done if you don't get the money you're asking for? The stimulus should be the amount of lost revenue due to the coronavirus. That should be replaced dollar-for-dollar from the federal government.
11:01 AM: Asked how many healthcare workers have died at city hospitals? That will be released. My heart goes out to their families. They did something heroic.
10:59 AM: What are the criteria to qualify for the hotels? De Blasio: We'll get the specifics out. The idea is to address where the dangers are greatest. We know where people are in the most danger. Multigenerational homes in those areas. We will focus there. And those who are most threatened, and that will be the priority.
10:56 AM: Asked about beaches not having lifeguards and how to protect people: The vast majority honor the signs. We've lost young people who went swimming where there is not a lifeguard on duty. Until we have a sense of where this is going I don't want to create a situation where people are gathering. Right now, we don't have a plan to open the beaches like we don't have a plan to open the pools.
10:51 AM: Asked about summer school for kids who are behind and enrichment programs? Also, we see school based cuts here but not so much on the central level or cuts to capital projects and why? On the capital side, a lot is being delayed. Things like air conditioning in all the classrooms has to wait. We've been making cuts to central costs in previous savings plans. The summer issue: we can't plan on summer right now. Our schools are closed this year. The things we normally plan for cannot happen.
10:48 AM: Asked about relaxing the restrictions on social distancing. Did you discuss this with President Trump? I don't want to characterize in detail a private conversation. I told him it would be madness. I had a conversation with mayor of San Francisco and the Spanish influenza. They had a false dawn and a city celebration and days later there was a massive outbreak and it got worse. I told the President and Vice President that it would be a huge mistake. I think they do think NYC is in a particular situation.
10:46 AM: Asked about 10-minute wait calling 311 for help to register for food delivery We need quality control. It's not acceptable. I will get this fixed today and I want you to test this again.
10:40 AM: Asked how the budget was balanced specifically the numbers/arithmetic? De Blasio: We will make sure more is put out. How we did it- $2 billion in the PEG program. Another $700 million in debt service saving and others. About $4 billion on the reserves and about $2 billion from the previous stimulus packages and FEMA. We are required to pay 25 percent for FEMA eligible expenses. The federal government should pay for that.
10:37 AM: Asked about 11,000 hotel rooms: De Blasio: On Sunday, April 5 I prepared for a horrific week. Since that day we've gotten to think differently. We were going to convert every hotel room into a hospital room. We've started to use them more for other purposes.
10:33 AM: Asked about possibility the beaches will be closed all season. De Blasio: On the question of the beaches is similar to the pools. I don't see a scenario where we could ---imagine Coney Island in the summer, hundreds of thousands of people packed tight, I don't imagine that happening any time soon. The notion of having lifeguards and having people go to the beaches, I don't see that any time soon. Lower expectations.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/nyc-beaches-pools-could-stay-closed-all-summer
10:30 AM: Asked About Rikers Island prisoners. Commissioner Shea is worried about inmates released. Who is monitoring the mostly convicted felons? Your office of Criminal Justice had no answer. I don't believe they've had no answers. There is a clear monitoring program for anyone who is released, a supervised released structure is being used, there is electronic monitoring. Our team can get you those details. The NYPD, the district attorneys, the state, we've all talked about this.
10:28 AM: How much federal aid do you still need in the budget and the IBO has different numbers: I respect the IBO, it's not the first time we've disagreed on the numbers. We stand by those numbers. This revenue loss could grow. This is based on the facts as we know it. We need the federal government to make up all lost revenue. We can't achieve new revenue in any fashion at this point. The state is no position to give us revenue.
10:24 AM: De Blasio asked about whether the governor was premature to say the worst was over. And, is it contradictory for the masks to be in place now that we've flattened the curve? No. First of all, we believe these are the true numbers. This is a disease that has thrown us curveballs before. We put that guide out on face coverings when we saw evidence that would help New Yorkers. This is exactly the time to double down. When you say the worst is over, there is a truth to that. Remember Sunday, April 5, that demarcation, we thought we were going to have something much worse.
10:23 AM: The mayor takes questions from reporters.
10:23 AM: De Blasio: People admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 symptoms, up to 386 from 370
887 in ICU up from 868;
Percentage of people who tested positive:
55 percent up from 53 percent (private labs)
78 percent up from 76 percent (Public health lab)
10:19 AM: De Blasio: In the beginning of March, 5,447 inmates in our jail system. Under 5,000 inmates three weeks ago. Yesterday, the jail population is under 4,000. That's the lowest in 74 years.
10:12 AM: De Blasio: We're seeing some real disparities in the way this disease is affecting our community. We're seeing low income communities, immigrant communities, hit hard. We are increasing the number of hotel rooms for isolation and quarantine. Right now, 11,000 hotel rooms are being readied for this. Referrals will begin this Wednesday (April 22). Also, the hotel rooms are available for healthcare workers regardless of symptoms. These rooms will also be available to multi-generational household members and the homeless.
10:07 AM: De Blasio: Sen. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader in the Senate, has stood in the way of so many of the things we needed. It's time for President Trump to speak up. I let him know what's happening in his hometown. There is a stimulus being worked on right now. Stimulus 3.5. There is $100 billion on the table for hospitals and healthcare workers. There is $150 billion on the table for states and localities, the formula must be based on need. All New Yorkers all 8.6 million to see if the President speaks up, if President Trump speaks up the Republican Senate will respond. Tell Mitch McConnell that we need stimulus 3.5 directly to New York City and New York State. That is broad overview of the budget.
10:04 AM: De Blasio: We lead the nation's economy. We constantly send resources out year after year. The federal government should be there for us. The federal government was very quick to bail out the banks a few years ago. They were very quick to bail out the auto industry. How about bailing out the nation's largest city?
10:02 AM: De Blasio: $89.3 billion for fiscal year 2021. It is balanced. It focuses on health, safety, food, shelter. It's That simple. $2 billion plus in cuts from agencies in their spending. About $700 million in other savings. That's $2.7B in savings. To get us through this immediate phase, we are drawing down from our budget reserves. Thank God those reserves were carefully cut. If there was ever a time to draw on reserves, it was now.
10:00 AM: De Blasio: Sales tax, income tax are way down. We believe that we will lose $7.4 billion in tax revenue. That's today's estimate. That's a horrifying figure. There are new things with costs we have to incur to protect people. Our hospital system, medical personnel all must be a priority.
9:58 AM: De Blasio: As we feel the affects of this crisis, now we have to do everything we possibly can to make sure people are safe. That's what this budget is all about. The only force that can ensure that we get through this the right way is the federal government. Nothing else on earth can help us like the federal government. We have to make sure those basics are there for people.
9:55 AM: De Blasio: Over the last weeks, we had to shut down our retail stores, we had to shut down bars and restaurants in a city famous for that. We've had to change our life fundamentally. We had to close our schools. We've had to go to shelter in place and social distancing.
9:53 AM: De Blasio: If we can't provide the resources for our people then you can kiss your recovery goodbye. So why don't we help people right now for every American so we can move forward together.
9:51 AM: De Blasio: There are four things that I care about profoundly about how we spend our resources. Keep New Yorkers healthy. Keeping you safe. Making sure there is food on your table. Keeping a roof over your head.
9:49 AM: Mayor Bill de Blasio holds daily coronavirus briefing. Watch live at this link: https://fox5ny.com/live
9:20 AM: The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits jumped by 5.25 million last week, as massive job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic continued to mount.
8:52 AM: A group of nurses told their managers they wouldn’t enter COVID-19 patient rooms without N95 masks. The hospital suspended them, according to the National Nurses Union.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/nurses-suspended-for-refusing-to-treat-patients-without-masks
8:50 AM:
8:13 AM: New statistics about the coronavirus:
· Total cases, worldwide: 2,076,015 cases
· Total deaths, worldwide: 138,008 deaths
· Total cases, United States: 639,664 cases
· Total deaths, United States: 30,985 cases
New York State & New York City Cases
· New York State: 214,832 cases; 14,073 deaths
· New York City: 118,302 cases; 10,899 deaths
· Nassau County: 26,715 cases; 1,057 deaths
· Suffolk County: 23,708 cases; 653 deaths
· Westchester: 20,947 cases; 640 deaths
7:39 AM: A group of 11 Iranian naval vessels made “dangerous and harassing” maneuvers near U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf near Kuwait on Wednesday, in one case passing within 10 yards (meters) of a Coast Guard cutter, American officials said.
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/us-accuses-iran-of-dangerous-harassment-of-us-warships
7:28 AM: U.S. equity futures are pointing to a higher open on Thursday, reversing earlier declines. The major futures indexes are indicating a rise of 0.4 percent when trading begins.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/stock-futures-rise-as-leaders-look-at-reopening-the-economy
7:00 AM: Watch 'Good Day New York' at this link: https://fox5ny.com/live
6:46 AM: Seventeen bodies were reportedly discovered jammed into a nursing home morgue in Andover, New Jersey during the coronavirus pandemic.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/17-bodies-found-piled-up-in-nursing-home-report-says
5:46 AM: A California woman suspects a hacker utilized the popular video conferencing app ‘Zoom’ to remotely access her computer and steal over $60,000 from her bank account. Now, LAPD and Zoom are investigating, and the company says that they have no evidence their software could be responsible.