Significant Increase In Young People With Coronavirus: Cuomo

LONG ISLAND, NY — With young people seen congregating in large numbers at bars and on beaches, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday there has been a large increase in people ranging in age from 21 to 30 who have tested positive for the coronavirus over the past two weeks.

That number jumped to 13.2 percent from 9.9 percent, Cuomo said.

"That is a significant increase in a short period of time and we know why," he said.

Cuomo had a stern message for young adults: "This is not the time to fight for your right to party. I fully respect your right to party; I would enshrine it in state law. But let's be smart about it."

Young people have an attitude that they are immune to the virus, Cuomo said. "You are not," he said. "The virus can kill anyone, and if it doesn't kill you, you can bring it home and inadvertently kill someone."

Cuomo introduced a new social media campaign aimed at the younger demographic. The campaign aims to dispel the "COVID won't kill me" myth and urges young people to mask up. "Young people need facts," Cuomo said. "There's a misconception about their vulnerability to this disease."

The governor also said local governments and police have to step up and enforce social distancing mandates: "Just because people don't like the law doesn't mean you don't enforce the law."

If local governments or police have difficulty, New York State Police can be sent in to target areas with social distancing violations, Cuomo said.

State police and the state Liquor Authority have stepped up efforts dramatically but they need the help of local police to get the message across, he said.

On Thursday, which marked Day 145 of the coronavirus crisis, hospitalizations were at 706 statewide, the lowest since March 18. Thirteen more people died, Cuomo said.

Of 69,000 individuals tested for coronavirus Wednesday, 811 were positive, equating to 1.1 percent.

30 positive cases from one party

In Albany, 28 positive cases were linked to one July 4 party. "One bad event can be a real problem. Remember New Rochelle — one super spreader," Cuomo said.

New Yorkers, he said, climbed "the highest and hardest mountain. But we don't want to climb any more mountains."

Bad news on the horizon looms in terms of the spread of the coronavirus in other states across the nation — a "threat from other states that were not ready" to fight the virus. A total of 39 states are now seeing increases in cases, Cuomo said.

"We know this virus travels," he said. "We know we are not an island and we cannot hermetically seal New York in a bubble. Our quarantine enforcement is serious."

Travelers arriving at the airport from states on the quarantine list must fill out a state Department of Health travel form or risk a $2,000 fine.

"If we don't control the virus in other states we are in danger of a second wave, a ricochet of the first wave," Cuomo said. "The wave bounced to the west coast and now it's bouncing back, like a wave in a bathtub. A virus anywhere is a virus everywhere."

Cuomo also advocated once again for federal funding to help state and local governments recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

He spoke about testing in state correctional facilities and said all individuals 55 and older were tested. Out of that group of 3,922 tested, there were 77 positives, or 1.9 percent; only asymptomatic individuals were tested since those with symptoms had been tested earlier, Cuomo said.

Those testing positive were taken to hospitals or quarantined and monitored, officials said. The news was good from the facilities since there have been significant coronavirus outbreaks in prisons nationwide.