Governor Andrew Cuomo warned of a possible return to more robust COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, and ordered hospitals in New York state to take emergency precautions as the number of hospitalizations begins to rise to levels not seen since early June.
Similar to what occurred in the spring, all hospitals must plan to add 50% capacity as well as prepare for staffing shortages by reaching out to retired doctors and nurses. According to Cuomo, some hospitals are already reporting staff shortages.
The number of people statewide hospitalized with COVID-19 is now above 3,500, nearly quadrupling in the past five months.
"We are now worried about overwhelming the hospital system," Cuomo said at a Monday morning press conference in Manhattan. "If those numbers increase, which we expect they will, you will see serious stress on the hospital system."
The action marks the most serious comprehensive response the governor has taken since the reopening, reflecting the growing seriousness of the crisis and the concern over an anticipated surge from the holidays.
"It’s a new phase in the war against COVID," Cuomo said. “It’s a war in terms of preparation and mobilization."
Noting that California recently implemented a statewide shutdown, Cuomo announced an "emergency stop provision" if "there is a critical hospital situation" in which hospitals are overwhelmed. "We could potentially do a New York PAUSE," Cuomo said, referring to the initial statewide shutdown that he ordered in March.
Still, the governor did not announce broader shutdown measures as some states have done. In particular, indoor dining has been permitted in most of the state with the exception of certain "micro cluster" zones Cuomo has targeted because of high infection rates.
Los Angeles County recently prohibited nearly all public and private gatherings. In New York, private gatherings are capped at 10 people.
Cuomo has said he would adhere to the state's targeted shutdown approach. But as part of a winter phase plan, the state will designate zones for restrictions based on hospitalizations, hospital capacity and staffing, in addition to positivity and case rates.
The governor on Monday also directed hospitals to develop emergency field hospital plans. In the spring, Mount Sinai on the Upper East Side was widely criticized after inviting an anti-gay evangelical nonprofit to set up tents in Central Park for coronavirus patients. Large hospital networks, including New York City's public hospital system, Health + Hospitals, must also be prepared to evenly distribute their patients across their hospitals in the event of a surge.
In Erie County, where Buffalo is located, all elective surgeries will be halted. Cases in Buffalo and its surrounding suburbs have increased tenfold in the past month, a recent New York Times story reported.
The daily positivity rate for the state is 4.57%, the highest it has been since May.
Asked about indoor dining, Cuomo said indoor gatherings, not restaurants, were largely to blame for the latest increase in transmission.
New York City allows indoor dining at 25% capacity, although the state has halted the activity in parts of Staten Island that are currently in an orange zone.
"Either people are going to get it or not," Cuomo said, about restricting gatherings. "This is not something government can really address with enforcement."
