Restrictions for NYC remain: New York state wants to relax from Friday

Tuesday May 12, 2020

Restrictions for NYC remain
New York state wants to relax from Friday

–

The state of New York with the metropolis of the same name has so far been considered the coronavirus epicenter in the USA. According to new research, the death toll could be even higher than previously thought. Nevertheless, there should now be easing.

The US state of New York, which has been particularly hard hit by the corona pandemic, wants to slowly loosen its restrictions again from Friday – but only in regions that meet certain conditions. The seven conditions included, among other things, falling infection numbers, sufficient free hospital capacity and sufficient test and follow-up capacities, as Governor Andrew Cuomo said at his daily press conference.

If a region fulfills all of these conditions, it is allowed to enter a four-phase opening process, which is monitored by a regional body. In the first phase, for example, construction work that is not systemically relevant may be resumed. If the numbers worsen again, easing can be reversed.

Currently, only three rural regions in the north of the state met these conditions, Cuomo said. The metropolis of New York, where around half of the state’s 19 million inhabitants live, does not meet the requirements.

The number of new infections in the state continued to decline. 161 people died on Sunday after being infected with the virus, Cuomo announced. In March and April, up to 800 people infected with the virus died per day. So far, nearly 330,000 people in the state have contracted the virus. More than 26,000 died.

However, the numbers could be significantly higher, as a new study by the New York health authority shows. The study published on Monday (local time) suspects a total of around 25,000 corona fatalities in the metropolis of New York alone. The study looked at what is known as excess mortality in New York City from March 11th to May 2nd – that is the deviation from the assumed number of deaths during the same period in a “normal” year. According to the experts, the non-recording of suspected corona fatalities could be due, among other things, to sick people who tested false negative, died outside medical control or whose death has not yet been linked to Covid-19.

– .