Cuomo Asks Businesses To Split Work Day For Coronavirus Outbreak

NEW YORK CITY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo will ask New York businesses to reorganize the work day to fight a novel coronavirus spread, he said Wednesday.

"I'm going to ask them voluntarily to do telecommuting, two shifts, a morning shift and a late shift, and let people work from home voluntarily," Cuomo said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe. "We have to take real actions and we have to take them quickly."

New York City currently has 46 confirmed COVID-19 cases and there's a 108-case cluster — the nation's largest — in New Rochelle, officials said.

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Some New York City schools and events — such as the New York City Half Marathon — have been closed or canceled as health officials work to contain the spread and urge New Yorkers to avoid crowded areas.

"The numbers are going to go up exponentially," Cuomo said. "We don't see it in the testing yet because we're not testing enough and it's much bigger out there than we even know."

Cuomo said his primary concern was preparing hospitals and health care centers for an outbreak that might overwhelm the system.

"That's the real challenge," Cuomo said. " Can you deal with the number of sick in the hospitals?"

Read More:

• NYC Coronavirus Case Count Mounts To 46, Mayor Says
• The NYC Schools Closed
• Katie Couric, Andrew Cuomo Come Into Contact With Coronavirus Patient
• NYC Half Marathon Canceled