Coronavirus In New York Is 'Inevitable,' Cuomo Says

NEW YORK — The governor of New York said it was "inevitable" that the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, as the virus is formally known, will affect New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo was a guest Friday on Long Island News Radio with Jay Oliver when he was asked about news that someone in California was diagnosed with the virus and it was no travel-related.

Cuomo said it was just a matter of "a relatively short period of time" that he would have to make a similar announcement.

"You cannot hermetically seal the United States of America, or New York," he said.

"So it's virtually inevitable, and otherwise we're playing a game with ourselves," Cuomo said.

He said it's important that people not panic and that he spoke to Vice President Mike Pence, who was recently appointed by President Donald Trump to oversee the nation's response to the new virus. Cuomo told the vice president New York is willing to help test for the virus.

"Does the CDC have to do all the tests in Washington?" he said, referring to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of importance to the possibility of a coronavirus pandemic is knowing what the protocols are and that every local health department is doing the same thing, the governor said.

"Nassau has to be doing the same thing as Suffolk," Cuomo said, and they have "to be doing the same thing as New York City."

That preparedness was a monumental logistical and management operation, he added.

"So, if I'm a citizen, I want to know my government understands the magnitude of the task and … is competent to do it," he said.

Cuomo said he has asked the legislature for $40 million for additional equipment purchases, so the state doesn't have to scramble for masks and gloves, for example.

As of Friday, 28 people in New York have been under investigation for symptoms of the new coronavirus. Six of them in New York City tested negative for the virus, and 21 outside of the city also tested negative. There is one test result in the city that is pending. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 anywhere in the state.

Nassau County announced Thursday that a resident tested negative for the virus, and to date, six people have been tested and all have been negative. Eighty-three people were possibly exposed to the COVID-19 virus, and more than 75 still remain under voluntary isolation.

At a news conference Wednesday in Westchester County, officials said the number of individuals under observation for symptoms of the virus was down to eight from 26 earlier in the month.