Gov. Cuomo closes all NYC playgrounds, parks to remain open

Gov. Cuomo says New York City playgrounds will close to enforce social distancing; parks to remain open

News 12 Staff

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Mar 15, 2020, 2:18 PM

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Updated 1,495 days ago

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that New York City playgrounds will be closed, saying that residents were warned about reducing social density, but many chose not to comply.

The city’s parks will remain open.

The governor also put forth some projection models that suggest that the apex of the COVID-19 curve will come at the end of April. He said with minimal social distancing, there will be a need for 110,000 COVID-19 beds. With high social distancing compliance, there will be a need for 75,000 beds.

MORE: LIVE BLOG - Coronavirus updates from the tri-state area and beyond

He also put forth a model funded by the Bill Gate Foundation that says 93,000 people in the U.S. will die from COVID-19, 16,000 in New York.

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"Nobody knows what's going to happen...What you do need to know are facts," said Gov. Cuomo.

He also said that the NYPD has to get “more aggressive” to enforce social distancing. He was reacting to many people who marveled together at USNS Comfort pulling into New York Harbor. He called it reckless and selfish not to comply with guidelines.

More notes on the governor’s news conference are below:

There are 83,712 positive COVID-19 cases in New York, 12,226 people are currently hospitalized, 3,022 are ICU patients.
A total of 6,142 patients have been discharged, which is up 1,167 cases.
The number of deaths in the state has reached 1,941, up from 1,550. "That number will continue to go up."
Gov. Cuomo: "Nobody knows what's going to happen...what you do need to know are facts."
Gov. Cuomo says the apex of the COVID-19 curve will come at the end of April, based on several models.
High compliance with social distancing, there is projected to be the need for 75,000 COVID-19 beds at the end of April. With minimal compliance, it's 110,000.
A model funded by Bill Gates' foundation estimates 93,000 deaths in the United States, 16,000 in New York.
"Think about somebody else." New York Gov. Cuomo says New York City playgrounds will close to enforce social distancing; parks to remain open.
Gov. Cuomo: "Something like this will happen again...learn the lessons from this."
Gov. Cuomo: "This is beyond best efforts. This is beyond 'I'm working very hard.' We have to succeed. We have to find a way. We have to make it happen, because too much is at stake."
Gov. Cuomo says his brother, Chris Cuomo, has symptoms of a bad flu. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Tuesday. "Anyone can get it and everyone has to be protected." He says Chris continuing to do his CNN show from his basement was "gutsy" and "courageous."

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