ALBANY – The Army Corps of Engineers has recommended four initial sites in New York State for the location of temporary hospitals as the coronavirus pandemic spreads – the Westchester Convention Center in White Plains, the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan and locations at SUNY Stony Brook and SUNY Old Westbury.
Once approved by Governor Cuomo, the Army Corps is expected to immediately begin work to construct the temporary hospitals. The governor is also asking FEMA to designate four field hospitals with 250 beds each for the state, intended for use in the Javits Center in addition to the temporary hospital to be constructed by the Army Corps.
The state has identified two million N95 masks for purchase and will send one million to New York City 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.
The state is also gathering ventilators from different health facilities across the state to be used in the most critical areas and has already purchased 6,000 additional ventilators.
Cuomo also issued an executive order temporarily closing Department of Motor Vehicles for all in-office visits. Online transactions, including for license renewals, are still available. License and permit expirations will be extended.
The federal government has also approved New York’s request for a major disaster declaration that allows FEMA to step in financially and assist the state.
