![The deceased was identified by Cuomo as a 79-year-old woman with "multiple major underlying [health] issues.](https://24hbongdda.site/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/03/cuomo-covid-19-death.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=744)
An elderly woman succumbed Sunday to the coronavirus in a New York City hospital, becoming the third state death, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday — as the number of state cases rose to 729.
The deceased was identified by Cuomo as a 79-year-old woman with “multiple major underlying [health] issues. ”
She died early Sunday in an unspecified New York City hospital, Cuomo said, though officials would not reveal further information.
As of Sunday afternoon, 5,272 New Yorkers have been tested.
Cuomo — who on Thursday announced indefinite bans on most gatherings of more than 500 people to stop the spread — urged businesses to “aggressively consider” work-from-home strategies and voluntary closures.
“Depending on what businesses do on a voluntary basis, we could consider mandatory actions later on,” said Cuomo, though he did not elaborate on how potential forced closures would be enforced.
He did, however, stress the importance of business-as-usual for essential personnel to keep the state humming.
“Should the Congress not show up? Should police not show up?” he asked rhetorically. “We need soldiers to fight the war.”
The state’s first coronavirus death came earlier this week when a 65-year-old man in Rockland County’s Suffern succumbed.
His death was not discovered to be coronavirus-related until Saturday.
Late Friday, an 82-year-old woman died at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn.