New York announces 3rd coronavirus death as infections climb in state to 729

USA

A third person has died in New York of the coronavirus as the number of infections in the state rose to 729, officials announced Sunday.

The victim was identified by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as a 79-year-old woman with “multiple major underlying [health] issues,” the New York Post reported. She died early Sunday at a hospital in New York City.

The announcement of her death came as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, weighed a Big Apple lockdown to try containing the outbreak.

The Empire State’s other two coronavirus deaths were a 64-year-old Rockland County man with underlying health problems and an 82-year-old New York City woman with emphysema, officials said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference at a COVID-19 coronavirus infection testing facility at Glen Island Park, Friday, March 13, 2020, in New Rochelle, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference at a COVID-19 coronavirus infection testing facility at Glen Island Park, Friday, March 13, 2020, in New Rochelle, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

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As of Sunday afternoon, 5,272 New Yorkers underwent testing for the coronavirus, the Post reported. Of the 729 confirmed cases, 137 have been admitted to the hospital.

Cuomo, D-N.Y., has urged businesses to “aggressively consider” letting employees work from home and closing voluntarily.

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“Depending on what businesses do on a voluntary basis, we could consider mandatory actions later on,” the governor said. He did not elaborate on what actions could be taken to force closures.

The newest infected cases included two members of New York’s State Legislature, Charles Barron and Helene Weinstein, representing Assembly districts in Brooklyn, WCBS-TV reported.

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The Archdiocese of New York announced all masses were being canceled at all of its 296 parishes indefinitely due to coronavirus.

The archdiocese includes Manhattan, the Bronx, Westchester and several other counties north of the city.

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