Coronavirus NY: Cuomo Extends Stay-Home Order

NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday extended his order for all nonessential workers to stay home for another two weeks, stretching the state's shutdown into mid-April amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The order, known as NY PAUSE, is now in effect until April 15, Cuomo said. Many businesses will remain closed.

The state's April 1 budget deadline is approaching and the governor blasted the federal government. New York is not getting the aid it was expecting, Cuomo said, leaving the state with a budget hole of $10 billion to $15 billion.

"We have more cases than anyone else, we got the lowest level of reimbursement than anyone else," Cuomo said. "What happened to funding the need?"

The governor gave an ominous warning.

"The help we were waiting for from Washington never came," he said. "Now we have to make drastic cuts to the budget, like you have never seen."

Those cuts will come as the virus continues to spread across the state. Thousands more coronavirus cases and more than 200 deaths were reported overnight. The state now has more than 59,000 cases and 965 people have died.

Though the virus has continued to spread, the rate of infection is somewhat slowing. A few days ago, the rate of hospitalizations was doubling every two days. Now, Cuomo said, it's doubling every six.

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New York is a hotspot for the coronavirus and other places are starting to take notice. Cuomo thanked Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo for rescinding her order for police to stop cars with New York license plates at the Rhode Island border. Cuomo also said he agreed with the recently adopted CDC travel advisory for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The order is the same as what New York has already advised citizens to do.

"I support what the president did, because it affirms what we've been doing," Cuomo said.

These are the latest coronavirus case totals for the most-impacted areas of the state:

• New York City: 33,768
• Westchester: 8,519
• Nassau: 6,445
• Suffolk: 5,023
• Rockland: 2,209
• Orange: 1,247
• Erie: 358
• Dutchess: 320
• Monroe: 219
• Albany: 205

Despite the fear that's gripping many people, Cuomo applauded the more than 76,000 retired healthcare workers who have volunteered to help staff hospitals, as well as first responders. He called them all "truly outstanding, amazing human beings."

He also assured the people of the state that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

"This is New York," Cuomo said. "We're going to make it through this. We've made it through far greater things. We're going to be OK. We specialize in stamina and strength and stability, and that's just what we're doing now. "