ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) New York is closing schools for two weeks in a ``containment area'' centered in suburban New Rochelle, the center of a cluster of cases of the new coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.
The state will send National Guard troops to help clean surfaces and deliver food in the area, and the state and a private health system are setting up a testing facility there, Cuomo said. Schools will close for two weeks starting Friday.
``It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster of cases in the country,'' he said. ``The numbers are going up unabated, and we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle.``
New Rochelle is at the center of an outbreak of more 108 cases in Westchester County, out of 173 statewide as of Tuesday.
Cuomo said on CNN's ``New Day'' that only people in ``vulnerable populations'' such as the elderly and people with other health problems need to avoid air travel and large gatherings. ``Those people, yes. General population, no,'' he said.
The new coronavirus that has sickened thousands across the globe causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The number of people with the virus in New York is unknown because testing is still being done in the U.S. on a very limited basis.