New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday that he is ordering all workers in nonessential businesses to stay home and banning gatherings statewide.
"Only essential businesses can have workers commuting to the job or on the job," Cuomo said of an executive order he will sign Friday.
The new rules will go into effect on Sunday, Cuomo said.
Essential businesses include medical providers, food suppliers and transit services.
"Mass transit is operational because we have to get people to hospitals,” Cuomo said. “We have to get the essential people to work.”
Cuomo said he recognized the disruption the order will cause to New Yorkers' lives. "This is the most drastic action we can take," he said.
The governor described seeing people not heeding official advice to stay home. "When you’re young you think you’re invincible. You’re wrong," he said.
Monroe County's latest data indicates that young people are vulnerable to COVID-19, though the most serious symptoms of the disease are most common in older adults.