Coronavirus: Cuomo Outlines 'Stay At Home' Rules

NEW YORK, NY — All New Yorkers who are not considered essential workers were ordered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to stay home and not report to work as of 8 p.m. Sunday. He said this was the most drastic action he could take, after first reducing the nonessential workforce by 50 percent and then 75 percent.

"These actions will cause disruption," Cuomo said Friday at a news conference. "They will cause businesses to close, will cause employees to stay at home."

The governor signed the order in an effort to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus. There were 2,950 additional coronavirus cases in New York State as of Friday morning, bringing the statewide total to 7,102. There were new cases in 23 counties.

Cuomo emphasized that this was a statewide order made solely by him, not a county executive or a mayor.

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"I accept full responsibility," he said.

Cuomo called the action PAUSE — or Policies that Assure Uniform Safety for Everyone.

"This is not life as usual," he said. "Accept it and realize it and deal with it."

"These provisions will be enforced," Cuomo said. "There are not helpful hints."

The rules he laid out were aimed at two different groups: the most vulnerable, who include seniors over 70, immunocompromised people and those with underlying illnesses, and non-vulnerable populations, or everyone else.

For the most vulnerable, Cuomo outlined the following rules:

• Remain indoors.
• Can go outside for solitary exercise.
• Pre-screen all visitors and aides by taking their temperature and seeing if they are exhibiting other flu-like symptoms.
• Do not visit households with multiple people.
• Wear a mask when in the company of others.
• To the greatest extent possible, everyone in the presence of vulnerable people should wear a mask.
• Always stay at least 6 feet away from individuals.
• Do not take public transportation unless urgent and absolutely necessary.

For everyone else, except essential workers, the rules are:

• Nonessential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason (e.g., parties, celebrations or other social events) are canceled or postponed at this time.
• Any concentration of people outside their home must be limited to workers providing essential services, and social distancing should be practiced.
• When in public, people must practice social distancing of at least 6 feet from others.
• Businesses and entities that provide other essential services must implement rules that help facilitate social distancing of at least 6 feet.
• People should limit outdoor recreational activities to non-contact and avoid activities where they come in close contact with other people.
• People should limit use of public transportation to when absolutely necessary and should limit potential exposure by spacing out at least 6 feet from other riders.
• Sick persons should not leave their home unless to receive medical care and only after a tele-health visit to determine if leaving the home is in the best interest of their health.
• Young people should also practice social distancing and avoid contact with vulnerable populations.
• Use precautionary sanitizer practices such as using isopropyl alcohol wipes.

Exemptions will be made for essential service industries, including shipping, media, warehousing, grocery and food production, pharmacies, health care providers, utilities, banks and related financial institutions, and other industries critical to the supply chain.

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