New York Gov. Cuomo says the NYPD needs to ‘step up’ in enforcing social distancing rules

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday urged the New York City Police Department to “step up” in enforcing social distancing rules on bars and restaurants as coronavirus hospitalizations in the state hit a new low.

New York conducted about 54,000 tests on Sunday and less than 1% came back positive for Covid-19, Cuomo said on a conference call with reporters. The state also hit new lows for the number of people hospitalized, in intensive care and intubated, he said.

“We need the NYPD to step up,” he said, adding the state issued 19 violations to bars or restaurants on Sunday. 

The United States has the worst outbreak in the world with more than 5 million cases and at least 162,900 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. New York state, once the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., now has one of the lowest rates of new cases in the nation. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.