Andrew Cuomo: New York is ordering hospitals to boost capacity by 50%

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday the state is directing hospitals to increase their capacity by 50% as it grapples with its response to the expanding coronavirus outbreak.

Mr. Cuomo said he hasn’t had “second thoughts” on decisions he’s made on restrictions amid the COVID-19 crisis, while acknowledging that the current way of life isn’t sustainable and that at some point you have to “open the valve.”

He said there are 53,000 hospital beds but that there could be a need for 110,000 beds as more people get sick.

“We are today issuing an emergency order that says to all hospitals you must increase your capacity by 50% — you must,” Mr. Cuomo said Monday morning as he provided an update on COVID-19 in his state. “Find more beds, use more rooms.”

He also said hospitals should try to increase their capacity by 100%.

“I think it’s unreasonable to [say] to every hospital, basically, double your capacity,” he said. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say try to reach a hundred percent increase.”

Mr. Cuomo on Sunday had accepted a recommendation from the Army Corps of Engineers for four temporary hospital sites in the state at the Javits Convention Center, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Old Westbury, and the Westchester Convention Center.

“President Trump did deliver yesterday,” he said.

He also said Mr. Trump agreed to waive the state’s 25% cost-sharing portion that would typically come under a federal disaster declaration for New York.

Appearing Monday afternoon at the Javits Center in New York City, Mr. Cuomo said that construction would start this week for about 1,000 emergency beds at that site to open up space at other hospitals.

He said that construction would hopefully be done in the next 7-10 days.

“All systems are go here,” he said.

He said they were also looking into potentially building 1,000 separate beds for “lighter medical care.”

“This is going to get much worse before it gets better,” the governor said. “We are still in the relative calm before the storm. You’re going to see the number of infections, the number of cases increase dramatically.”

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio had said Monday on CNN that public hospitals in New York City were on the verge of becoming overwhelmed if they don’t get an influx of supplies this week.

At Mr. Cuomo’s Monday morning briefing, the governor said there are now 20,875 positive coronavirus cases in the state and that 157 people have died.

He said that for the moment, the state does have the capacity to get supplies like protective masks to those in need.

“Today, we can get masks to anyone who needs them, and gowns. I can’t promise you next week or the week thereafter,” he said.

Mr. Cuomo did hint at eventually dialing back some restrictions he and the state have imposed to try to mitigate the spread of the virus.

He had already ordered that 100% of the workforce in New York stay home, except for essential workers, and that nonessential gatherings be temporarily banned.

Those restrictions went into effect at 8 p.m. Sunday.

“It is unsustainable to run this state or run this country with the economy closed down,” he said. “You’re doing smart public health policy and smart economic policy. I think there is a line, a dot where those two lines cross.”

He said he has “no second thoughts” on actions he’s taken, like ordering all nonessential workers to stay home.

“I would make the same decisions today,” he said. “At [one] point, you have to open the valve … because that is oxygen for the economy and this is not sustainable.”

He also re-upped his call for Mr. Trump to implement the Defense Production Act, saying states are currently competing with one another for supplies like protective masks and ventilators.

“It does not nationalize any industry. All it does is say to a factory, you must produce this quantity,” Mr. Cuomo said. “Yes, it is an assertion of government power on private sector companies — yes. But so what? This is a national emergency, and you’re paying the private sector company.”

He said private companies would be paid “handsomely.”

“You cannot continue to do these supplies on an ad hoc basis,” he said.