Coronavirus: 142 NY Cases, Schools Close, State Makes Hand Soap

NEW YORK, NY — New York will make and distribute its own hand soap across the state as the number of cases of the new coronavirus increased to 142 this week. Among the confirmed cases is Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday morning.

There have been about 111,000 cases of the new coronavirus confirmed globally across 109 countries and regions, including more than 500 in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University. The virus has killed nearly 3,900 people globally, including 22 in the United States.

Global stocks plunged Monday, including on Wall Street, as the spread of coronavirus led governments around the world to take strict measures to slow down the outbreak.

In New York, Westchester County in the Hudson Valley has the most coronavirus cases by far at 98, followed by 19 in New York City and 17 in Long Island's Nassau County. Rockland County has four confirmed cases while Saratoga has two, Suffolk has one and Ulster has one. Eight people have been hospitalized, Cuomo said. That figure represents about 6 percent of cases in the state.

No coronavirus deaths have been reported in New York.

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Cuomo again stressed the situation in Westchester is worse than most places. It's possible that schools in the area could be closed for weeks

"New Rochelle is a significant hot spot," he said.

Across the state, schools will have to close for at least 24 hours for an assessment if a child tests positive for the virus, the governor said. A determination will then be made on how to proceed, including possibly keeping the school closed.

On Monday, all schools in the Shoreham-Wading River School District in Suffolk County were closed after a staff member's spouse may have been exposed to the virus. Also on Monday, it was confirmed that a worker at a popular Long Island brewery was the first Suffolk County patient being treated for coronavirus.

Hofstra University canceled all in-person classes this week after a student reported flu-like symptoms and Columbia University canceled all classes Monday and Tuesday after a school member was exposed to the disease, known as COVID-19. Scarsdale schools officials also just announced they will cancel classes through March 18.

Laura Curran, the Nassau County executive, postponed her annual State of the County address — initially scheduled for Wednesday — to focus on the virus.

Cuomo told reporters Monday state officials will send schools, the MTA and other public entities its own hand sanitizer consisting of 75 percent alcohol. The move is meant to combat price-gouging.

"This is a superior product to products now in the market," Cuomo said, noting that the sanitizer comes in a variety of scents. The soap is cheaper than anything the government would be able to buy, he said.

Cuomo said a bill he proposed on paid sick leave would be sent up Monday.

"It’s even more important now," he said. "If government is ordering a quarantine even a voluntary quarantine that places a hardship on a person and that person should get paid."

Cuomo added: "I don’t want to add to that burden that we’re creating."