NYS gears up to create hospital space, manufacture masks and medical equipment

On Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo executed a 10-point policy meant to assure safety for everyone. There are now 7,102 confirmed cases of coronavirus in 23 counties.

The combination of not enough tests, people still being out, and the COVID-19 being community acquired is “very concerning,” said Elizabeth Whalen, Albany County’s health commissioner.

Friday morning, Andrew Cuomo joined with governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania in directing all shops that provide personal-care services to close by 8 p.m. on Saturday.

On Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced 4,152 confirmed cases of coronavirus in New York State and made directives affecting businesses, mortgage holders, and hospitals.

He signed an executive order mandating businesses that rely on in-office personnel to decrease their in-office workforce by 75 percent.

On Thursday, New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, called for the tolling, or pausing and extending for a certain amount of time, of statute of limitations in New York as the state and residents take significant action to respond to the coronavirus disease.

Albany Medical Center and St. Peter’s Health Partners are suspending COVID-19 community testing, the hospitals announced on Thursday evening.

Effective immediately, St. Peter’s will be testing only symptomatic health-care providers at its Albany Memorial Campus at 600 Northern Blvd. in Albany.

Local schools, though closed, are continuing to provide sustenance to students — food and social services for those who need it as well as remote teaching.

The president of Albany Medical Center, Dennis McKenna, estimates Albany Med has two to three days left of testing kits for COVID-19. “We are dependent on availability of tests,” he said. “If kits are in short supply, they will be kept for patients in-house or the population most at risk.”

ALBANY COUNTY — The Albany County Soil and Water Conservation District invites all schools in the county to apply for funding through its School Assistance Program.