Mar 29, 2020
From Governor Cuomo, 6:42 PM on March 29
I want to share something President Franklin D. Roosevelt once observed. He said: "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear." These words could not be more apt than when applied to our first responders and healthcare professionals who daily put their lives at risk on behalf of all of us. Like many New Yorkers, they are worried about their own health. But they place service above fear. That's courage. And New York is deeply thankful.
Photo of the Day: Pizza restaurant Norcina of New City, NY, donates pizzas to the staff at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, NY (Photo by Norcina)
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. New York State will stay on PAUSE through April 15th. That means the non-essential workforce is directed to continue to work from home until at least April 15th. We will re-evaluate every two weeks.
2. A new drive-thru COVID-19 testing center will open Monday in Co-Op City in the Bronx. Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, Senator Jamaal T. Bailey, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto and I today announced a new mobile testing center located in the parking lot of the Bay Plaza AMC Theater. Residents who would like to be tested MUST make an appointment by calling 888-364-3065. Priority will go to higher-risk individuals.
3. We mourn the loss of New Yorkers who died on the front line in the fight against Coronavirus. We are heartbroken by the deaths of NYPD Detective Cedric Dixon, a 23-year veteran in the 32nd Precinct, and Kious Kelly, an assistant nurse manager at Mount Sinai West Hospital. Any life lost to this virus is tragic, but when the heroes who are working to protect the lives of others are taken, it hits especially hard. We can't thank our healthcare professionals and first responders enough for their selflessness and bravery.
4. Pharmacies will now offer free home delivery to New Yorkers. After speaking with the state's major pharmacy chains, pharmacies have agreed to offer free home delivery to help reduce long lines for prescriptions at their facilities.
5. The State's Wadsworth Lab has developed a less intrusive COVID-19 test that will begin within a week. The new test is done through a saliva sample and a self-administered short nasal swab in the presence of a healthcare professional. The test will help conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers, reduce potential exposure of the virus and allow the state to continue to test as many individuals as possible.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": Self-isolation is hard, but the companionship of pets makes it easier. According to reports, animal shelters across the United States are receiving a surge of applications to foster or adopt pets due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Ever Upward,
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo