Photo Courtesy of Darren McGee/Office of the Governor
“This is a public health crisis, but worse than the virus is the fear,” Gov. Cuomo said.
By Forum Staff
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has recommended four initial sites in New York for locating temporary hospitals: the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and locations at SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Old Westbury and the Westchester Convention Center, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday.
Upon Cuomo’s determination, the USACE is expected to immediately begin work to construct the temporary hospitals. The governor is also requesting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency designate four field hospitals with 250 beds each for the state, intended for use in the Javits Center in Manhattan in addition to the temporary hospital to be constructed by the corps.
The State is taking new actions to increase the supply of personal protective equipment, Cuomo also noted last weekend. The administration has identified two million N95 masks for purchase and will send one million to NYC and 500,000 to Long Island. Apparel manufacturers in the state are converting their operations to begin manufacturing masks and other medical equipment, and the State is also exploring manufacturing masks. Additionally, the administration is gathering ventilators from different health facilities from across the state to be used in the most critical areas and has already purchased 6,000 additional ventilators.
“This is a public health crisis, but worse than the virus is the fear, but we have a plan and we are doing everything we can to keep the people informed and save lives,” Cuomo said.
