NEW YORK (AP) — New York City entered a new phase in the coronavirus pandemic Monday with all the city's public schools closed for at least a month and bars and restaurants about to be off limits except for takeout service. Gov. Andrew Cuomo lobbied for federal help with hospital beds.
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SCHOOL'S OUT
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday that the city's nearly 1,800 public schools would close at least until April 20, the end of spring break. The mayor said that teachers would receive training for online learning this week and that "learning centers" would be set up for the children of essential medical workers. De Blasio had resisted closing the school system in part because many of its 1.1 million pupils rely on school meals. Free "grab and go" breakfasts and lunches will be distributed to children at school buildings starting Monday, he said.
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RESTAURANTS, BARS CLOSED
De Blasio was to sign an executive order Monday shutting bars and restaurants. The order, which takes effect Tuesday, limits food service to takeout and delivery only. City officials had already barred gatherings of more than 500 in an effort to halt the spread of COVID-19 but took the more drastic step when it became clear that patrons at many restaurants were still packed tightly together in defiance of recommended "social distancing" guidelines. Movie theaters and concert venues will be closed as well.
The virus that has stricken tens of thousands around the globe causes only mild symptoms for the majority of the people who become infected but can be deadly for some, especially older adults and people with certain health conditions such as respiratory illness.
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HOSPITAL BEDS
Cuomo pressed his case for the federal government to create more hospital beds as the number of virus cases is expected to rise quickly.
"We do not have the capacity to manage this number of cases; that's what happened in Italy," Cuomo said on NBC's Today Show.
Cuomo, a Democrat, wants the Army Corps of Engineers to be mobilized to equip facilities like military bases or college dorms to serve as temporary medical centers.
New York state has about 53,000 regular hospital beds and 3,000 intensive care beds. The governor warned Sunday that just several hundred of New York's ICU beds are currently open.
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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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