Five more cases of coronavirus connected to the 50-year-old Westchester attorney have been confirmed, bringing the total number of cases to 10 in the county and 11 in the state, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.
In his third press briefing of day regarding the spread of COVID-19, the governor announced that a new family, friends of the New Rochelle attorney, have confirmed cases.
The latest positive tests are in the single-family from New Rochelle, Cuomo said: a 45-year-old man, his 46-year-old wife, his daughter and two sons all were confirmed. They have entered a self-quarantine, which is expected to last at least two weeks.
There have now been 11 confirmed cases in New York, including the 10 in Westchester. The other case is. 39-year-old New York City woman who is employed as a healthcare worker and recently returned from Iran. She is self-quarantining at home with her husband, who tested negative for the virus.
“The father of this family is friends with an earlier confirmed patient, the lawyer who also lives in New Rochelle,” Cuomo said, calling it “a complex case” because of the various interactions. “He spent time with his lawyer in multiple circumstances. The entire family is under self-quarantine right now.
“This is an issue that is constantly evolving, Westchester County Executive George Latimer said. “We’re in uncharted waters and can’t know what to expect day-to-day. A phone call in the middle of the night could change the entire dynamic for us, and then we have to adjust and change the dynamic.
“The biggest problem this virus poses is the spread of misinformation of fear. We may not be able to control what happens to the virus, but we can control the spread of misinformation and fear. In the age of social media and the Internet, we do ourselves an injustice if we let our fear take over.”
"While we expect there to be more coronavirus cases, New Yorkers shouldn't let fear overtake reason," Cuomo added. We have been preparing for this. We can all take simple precautions to help prevent the spread of this and other viruses, like frequent hand-washing and staying home when sick."
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.