Source: NBC
- The number of novel coronavirus cases in the tri-state area nearly quadrupled between between late Friday and Tuesday, from 49 cases to 190; New Jersey has reported its first death
- The state of New York has more than 170 cases and is the 2nd most impacted state in the U.S. next to Washington state; the lion’s share of those cases are in Westchester County
- Governors in New York and New Jersey have declared states of emergency; Connecticut has two presumptive positive cases
New Jersey has reported its first COVID-19-related death — a 69-year-old man from Bergen County — as New York unveils its most stringent measures yet to combat the surge in coronavirus cases in Westchester County.
The New Jersey man hasn’t been identified but health officials said he has underlying conditions including emphysema, hypertension and diabetes. He has no travel nexus to high-risk countries but did work in New York.
He initially survived one cardiac arrest but went into cardiac arrest for a second time Tuesday. The second time he could not be revived. He is among the now 15 presumptive positive cases in the Garden State.
“Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time,” Gov. Phil Murphy and Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said in a joint statement. “We remain vigilant to doing all we can — across all levels of government — to protect the people of New Jersey.”
Both New Jersey and New York have declared states of emergencies.
In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the most rigorous actions to date to combat the spread in New Rochelle, which he described as the “most significant cluster in the country” and accounts for the lion’s share of the surging caseload in the tri-state area.
Those measures include deploying National Guard troops to a Health Department command post and setting up a satellite testing facility and one-mile, two-week containment area in the city. Public schools in that containment zone will be closed through March 25; National Guard troops will help clean surfaces and deliver food in that one-mile radius.
As of Tuesday, Westchester County has seen 108 confirmed COVID-19 cases; that’s 57 percent of all tri-state cases.
New Rochelle is home to the midtown Manhattan lawyer who has been linked to dozens of cases across multiple states. He was the second confirmed case in New York and its first instance of community spread. Learn more about the cases and track the spread of COVID-19 in the tri-state here.
There have since been fresh instances of community spread, including in New York City, which Cuomo said added more than a dozen new cases overnight. Overall, the state of New York sits at 173 confirmed cases, trailing only Washington state (179) as America’s most impacted state.
Meanwhile, school closings, community event cancellations and other fallout from the virus are expanding as officials work to contain the spread.
