Northeast governors will hold emergency meeting to discuss rising COVID-19 cases

by: Sarah Darmanjian

Posted: Nov 13, 2020 / 03:07 PM EST / Updated: Nov 13, 2020 / 04:01 PM EST

FILE – In this Nov. 11, 2020, file photo, medical works operate a testing tent at a COVID-19 mobile testing site in the Brooklyn borough of New York. School systems in several states are giving up on in-person classes, and some governors are reimposing restrictions on bars and restaurants or getting more serious about masks, as the coast-to-coast resurgence of the coronavirus sends deaths, hospitalizations and new infections soaring. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)- Governors from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island will be having an emergency meeting over the weekend to discuss the rise in COVID-19 numbers, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Friday. He said he believes the number of cases will continue to rise and that additional steps will be needed to combat the infection rate.

New York has one of the lowest infection rates in the country but Governor Cuomo said the rise in cases both nationally and internationally is alarming. With people spending more time inside and people gathering for the holidays, he said the expectation is that the number of cases will continue to rise.

The Governor said people should not be using a COVID-19 vaccine as a crutch. He said a vaccine would likely not be available until six to nine months from now and urged people to keep that in mind.

Governor Cuomo blamed the spread of the virus by way of restaurants, bars, gyms, and by “living room spread”. He also reiterated the need for limiting gatherings saying a group of 10 family members is no safer than a group of non-family members.

The Governor said 200,000 tests were conducted on Thursday and there are currently 1,700 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in New York. He said he plans to address the state on an important matter Sunday.