ALBANY COUNTY — One of the five New Yorkers to die from COVID-19 on Wednesday was an Albany County resident — a man in his nineties who lived in a private nursing home and had underlying health conditions.

His death brings to 131 the number of Albany County residents who have died of the disease.

“Our state’s continuing fight against COVID-19 has taken tremendous hard work and discipline from all New Yorkers, and we’re seeing results — a new low for hospitalizations, 13 straight days of an infection rate below 1 percent and a match of a previous low for patients in ICUs,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement, releasing the latest numbers.

He also announced that the State Liquor Authority and State Police Task Force visited 1,230 establishments in New York City and Long Island and found three — one in Brooklyn and two in Manhattan — that were not in compliance with state requirements.

“Now isn't the time to get complacent, and local governments must continue to enforce state guidance and New Yorkers must stay vigilant in the face of a continuing crisis throughout this country and around the world,” said Cuomo.

Spurred by worries about the pandemic, Cuomo on Thursday signed into law voting-reform measures to make it easier to vote by mail. The legislative package comes in three parts:

— S.8015-D/A.10833 authorizes voters to request an absentee ballot due to risk of illness, including COVID-19;

— S.8783A/A.10807 allows absentee ballot applications to be submitted to the board of elections immediately; and

— S.8799A/A.10808 ensures all absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day or received by the board of elections without a postmark on the day after the election will be counted.

Ballots with a postmark showing that they were mailed on or before Election Day, Nov. 3, will be counted if received by Nov. 10.

“The federal administration has ordered an unprecedented attack on the U.S. Postal Service and with COVID-19, threatening our ability to have safe, in-person voting, these measures are critical to ensuring a successful and fair election at one of the most important moments in our nation’s history,” Cuomo said in a statement. “These actions will further break down barriers to democracy and will make it easier for all New Yorkers to exercise their right to vote this November.”

Finally, Cuomo on Thursday signed an executive order to extend for another month, until Sept. 20, the state’s moratorium on COVID-related commercial evictions and foreclosures.

Cuomo had first announced a state moratorium on residential and commercial evictions on March 20; he then extended the commercial eviction and foreclosure moratorium through Aug. 20 by executive order. He also signed the Tenant Safe Harbor Act and additional legislation to protect residential renters and homeowners from foreclosure or eviction due to a COVID-19 financial hardship.

County tallies

As of Thursday morning, Albany county has 2,442 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of six since Wednesday, according to a release from Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy.

Two of the new cases were of healthcare workers or residents of private congregate settings, three had close contact with people infected with COVID-19, and one did not have a clear source of transmission that could be determined at this time.

The number of county residents under mandatory quarantine dropped to 600 from 611 on Wednesday.

The five-day average for new daily positives has ticked back up to 6.2 from six on Wednesday, and there are still currently 28 active cases

So far, 8,793 Albany County residents have completed quarantine. Of those who completed quarantine, 2,414 of them had tested positive and recovered, an increase of six.

Seven county residents are hospitalized, keeping the county’s hospitalization rate at 0.28 percent.