Governor Cuomo Announces Decrease in Average Hospitalizations, Regional Approach to Restarting the Economy
Today (April 7th), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced further improvements in the status of the COVID-19 outbreak. The three-day average of new hospitalizations has significantly decreased, further supporting the idea that the outbreak may be at or approaching the apex. Additionally, daily intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and intubations have decreased. At the same time, yesterday, the State saw the largest single-day increase in deaths and a larger number of new hospitalizations. The State continues to balance the load among hospitals and provide overload relief at the Javits Center and the USNS Comfort, which the federal government approved for use as a COVID-19 treatment facility yesterday.
The Governor also announced a tri-state cooperative with New Jersey and Connecticut to develop a regional approach to restarting the economy at the appropriate time. The Governor emphasized that restarting the economy will depend on the ability to rapidly test at scale. New York State plans to invest in private companies to accelerate capacity, and interested companies should email COVID19supplies@esd.ny.gov or call 212-803-3100. The Governor also reiterated that he believes New York will require additional federal assistance to restart the economy, such as another federal stimulus bill to support state and local governments.
Governor Cuomo Issues Executive Order 202.14
Today, Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 202.14 (available here) containing new directives intended to address the COVID-19 emergency. As announced in the Governor’s press conference yesterday, the Order extends social distancing measures until April 29th, including the closure of in-person businesses and schools. The Order codifies the increase in fines for violations of social distancing protocols to a maximum of $1,000. Additionally, for the duration of the emergency, the Order will:
- Allow any physician slated to graduate from a medical education program in 2020 who has been accepted to a residency program within or outside New York State to practice at any institution under the supervision of a licensed physician.
- Permit any parent, legal guardian, legal custodian, or primary caretaker who works or volunteers in a health care facility or who otherwise believes they may be exposed to COVID-19 to designate a standby guardian by means of written designation.
- Extend the period for premium payments to either the expiration of the contractual grace period or June 1st, whichever is later, for any comprehensive health insurance policyholder or contract holder who is facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19.
- Require insurers or health maintenance organizations to be responsible for payment of claims during the premium payment extension period and prohibit insurers from retroactively terminating an insurance policy or contract for non-payment during this period.
- Require any medical equipment (PPE, ventilators, respirators, etc.) held in inventory or otherwise located in the State to be reported to the Department of Health (DOH), and allow DOH to transfer equipment to other facilities based on immediate need.