52 NYPD Members Test Positive For Coronavirus, Shea Says

NEW YORK — Fifty-two NYPD members are among the more than 5,000 New Yorkers who've tested positive for novel coronavirus, Commissioner Dermot Shea said Friday.

Overall, 5,151 New York City residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 29 people had died as of 10 a.m. Friday morning, the Mayor's office said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a statewide stay-at-home order Friday that will go into effect Sunday and be enforced by NYPD officers, officials said.

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NYPD officers will have the power to arrest people found violating the governor's mandate — which limits outdoor excursions to essential tasks such as dog-walking, grocery shopping and exercising — but only as a last resort, Shea said.

"Certainly this coronavirus we're seeing now is in a new age," Shea said during a virtual press conference. "We're pulling this all together, it's a very fluid process."

Exemptions are in place for essential service providers, such as health care workers, food retailers and journalists.

The NYPD will not cut enforcement of low-level crimes during the duration of the outbreak, Shea said.

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