NY governor tells residents: 'Stay indoors'

New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday increased restrictions on state residents to stop the coronavirus pandemic, saying he was putting the state "on pause'' and people can only leave their homes for emergencies as of Sunday.

He ordered all non-essential workers to stay home as the number of cases in the state shot up to more than 7,100 and 35 deaths.

Cuomo warned that the state would enforce the orders effective Sunday night. "This is not life as usual," he said. "Deal with it."

The city had 3,954 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Thursday morning with 26 people dying from COVID-19 so far.

The city's five boroughs now account for about 30 percent of all coronavirus cases in the US and 70 percent of those in New York state, de Blasio said on Friday.

Cuomo said he was seeking to limit contact between New Yorkers to reduce the spread of the deadly virus and compared the rise in cases to a plumbing valve.

"Tighten the valve more," Cuomo said. "We're closing the valve."

Cuomo's action marked a sea change for the governor, who had been dismissing the possibility of "shelter-in-place" order, saying he didn't want to quarantine residents in their homes.

But New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has been pushing for a shelter in place requirement for days, and hours before Cuomo's announcement he reiterated his call for it.

As he offered a dire assessment of the crisis in the state at a news conference, Cuomo sparred with reporters who asserted that the new measures amounted to exactly what he said he was avoiding: shelter in place.

Cuomo chafed at calling his new order a shelter in place order, saying that term evoked active shooter situations and nuclear war.

"Words matter," the governor said. "Everyone has personal freedom and everyone has personal liberty and I'll always protect that."

Cuomo said public transport would stay open and announced plans to dramatically increase capacity of the health care system.

The city's five boroughs now account for about 30 percent of all coronavirus cases in the US and 70 percent of those in New York state, de Blasio said on Friday.

Cuomo's order will shut down all non-essential businesses across the state, leaving just grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential operations

He said anyone going outside must stay six feet away from each other.

His new policy bans "all nonessential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason''.

The governor also announced strict rules for people over 70 and those who have underlying illnesses, allowing them to go outside only for solitary exercise, requiring them to wear masks when in the company of others and barring them from visiting households with multiple people, among other requirements.