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Stay Home Rules Extended In NY Amid Glimmer Of Hope

Wearing his personal protective equipment, emergency room nurse Brian Stephen leans against a stoop as he takes a break from his work at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, Sunday, April 5, 2020, in New York. Located in downtown Brooklyn, the hospital is one of several in the New York area that has been treating high numbers of coronavirus patients during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended stay-at-home restrictions through the month and increased fines on violators to up to $1,000, citing fresh evidence Monday that the outbreak-fighting rules could be helping the state avoid a worst-case catastrophe.

Here are developments in the coronavirus outbreak.

New York state has tallied 4,758 deaths from COVID-19, with 599 reported in the last 24 hours. It remains the most impacted state with more than 130,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and close to 17,000 people hospitalized.

But the number of new people entering hospitals daily has dropped, as have the number of critically ill patients requiring ventilators. Recent data suggests the state could be at or near the peak of the outbreak, state officials said.

Warning it was no time the relent, Cuomo said schools and nonessential businesses will remain closed until April 29. He said the maximum fine for violations of state social distancing protocol will soon be $1,000, up from $500.

“This virus has kicked our rear end. And we underestimate this virus at our own peril. We’ve learned that lesson,” Cuomo told a news briefing at the state Capitol. “Now is not the time to slack off on what we’re doing.”

Cuomo stressed that even if New York has reached the peak, numbers could persist at these levels, which would continue to stress struggling hospitals.

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