New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has taken a big step towards enforcing social distancing in his state, which remains one of the states hit the hardest by the coronavirus. Cuomo announced Monday that he would be doubling the maximum fine for violating the state's social distancing rules from $500 to $1,000.

Cuomo stated that this move was in response to New Yorkers ignoring the strict rules in place to stem the spread of COVID-19.

“It’s not about your life,” Cuomo told reporters. “You don’t have the right to risk someone else’s life. You don’t have the right, frankly, to take health-care staff and people who are literally putting their lives on the line and be cavalier or reckless with them. You just don’t have the right.”

Johns Hopkins University reports that New York state has had 130,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and over 4,700 deaths. The majority of these cases, 72,181, have come from New York City.

At the same press briefing, Cuomo confirmed over 8,600 new cases in the state, and that deaths were up to around 4,700 from 4,100 the previous day. He said that this figure indicated a flattening of the state’s death rate and could be a sign that the virus curve will soon peak.

“The flattening, possible flattening of the curve is better than the increases that we have seen,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo announced that schools and non-essential businesses in New York will remain closed until April 29. While it is unclear at this stage if New York’s cases of the virus have plateaued, he said that the state’s medical system is reaching its capacity to treat patients and cannot continue to meet demand at the current rate for much longer.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has warned of "astronomical numbers" of coronavirus cases in the state and the nation's biggest city
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has warned of "astronomical numbers" of coronavirus cases in the state and the nation's biggest city AFP / Bryan R. Smith
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