New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday ordered hospitals to make emergency preparations to combat the current surge in coronavirus cases, including transferring patients to sites that have not reached capacity.
Cuomo also said every hospital has to identify retired nurses and doctors to return to the frontlines, confirm a 90-day PPE stockpile, and increase bed capacity by 50% as part of the state's multi-strategy COVID-19 plan of action.
"We are now worried about overwhelming the hospital system," Cuomo said at a news briefing. "If those numbers continue to increase, which we expect they will, you will see serious stress on the hospital system."
The governor said he could impose a regionally based shutdown, or "pause" order if hospitals become overwhelmed. Additionally, "there will be a state investigation" if hospitals get inundated.
"If the result of that investigation is they did not distribute the patients, that will be malpractice on their part," Cuomo said.
Cuomo also called for an increase in testing and maintaining open schools in a safe manner. The state also ordered elective surgeries to stop in Erie County as of Friday.
New York has reported an average of more than 6,000 new cases per day over the past week, with more than 3,300 COVID-19 patients hospitalized.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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