Executive Order 202.23

Governor Cuomo last night issued Executive Order 202.23, guaranteeing that every New Yorker automatically receives a postage-paid application to receive an absentee ballot for the June 23rd primary elections and any previously rescheduled election.  This Order also cancelled the June 23rd State Assembly, State Senate, and Queens Borough President special elections; these seats will be filled at the November general election.  (NOTE: the June 23rd special elections are separate from the June 23rd State Assembly and Senate primaries, which have not been cancelled.)  Finally, this Order authorized the Commissioner of Health to suspend or revoke the operating certificate of any skilled nursing facility or adult care facility found to have violated a Department of Health regulation or directive.

Testing Expansion

Discussing New York State’s need to bring diagnostic and antibody testing to scale to expedite the State’s reopening, the Governor stated that while 20,000 individuals currently are tested each day, the goal (with federal assistance) is 40,000 tests per day.  To increase laboratory capacity in the State and help meet this goal, the Governor will be issuing a new Executive Order allowing independent pharmacists to conduct diagnostic coronavirus tests.

Additionally, the State is expanding diagnostic testing criteria to include more New Yorkers, emphasizing first responders, health care workers, and essential employees.  As testing capacity grows, the Governor said that testing eligibility will expand also.

Finally, the Governor announced that antibody testing will be conducted today for frontline healthcare workers at four downstate facilities: Bellevue Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Montefiore Medical Center, and SUNY Downstate Medical Center.  Expanded antibody testing next week will include Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employees, transit workers, the New York State Police, and the New York City Police Department.

COVID-19 Numbers                                                     

We continue to appear to be on the far side of the COVID-19 plateau. That said, the number of deaths in the State has increased by 437 since yesterday to 16,599 total.