New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday ordered 75% of the workforce in nonessential services to stay at home, approved mortgage relief for consumers and waived health rules to increase hospital capacity as the number of coronavirus cases across the state surged to 4,152 — with 1,769 new infections confirmed overnight.
Due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the state, Cuomo asked private companies in nonessential industries to voluntarily keep all of their workforce home. He is signing a mandate requiring businesses to make three-fourths of their staff work from home, up from 50% on Wednesday. Essential services include food and grocery stores, pharmacies, health care, shipping and supplies.