Even while delivering the good news that New York had hit the lowest number of daily deaths since the coronavirus outbreak began in March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo chastised cops who aren’t wearing face masks.
“It is the law. And the law is the law for the police, right?” Cuomo told reporters Saturday. “So wear a mask. It is the state law. It’s not an option.”
The NYPD gave a litany of reasons Thursday for why officers aren’t wearing masks. Two cited were the heat and their long hours.
Cuomo also took some protesters to task for how they’re wearing their masks. He donned one to show the right and wrong ways.
The right way is to cover both the nose and mouth. The wrong way is to pull it below the chin.
“This is like a form of a chin guard,” the governor said with his mask down low. “It may be a fashion statement. It may be cool. But this accomplishes nothing. It’s not a mask. It’s nothing.”
Later, the NYPD told The Post that “officers are directed to wear masks whenever possible.”
Cuomo highlighted the state’s falling daily death toll. The total stood at 32 on Friday, down 10 from the day before and the lowest number since the health crisis started three months ago. Friday’s hospitalizations were 1,734, the lowest since March 20.
“We’ve done it,” he said. “We’ve tamed the beast.”
To keep numbers low, the state announced Friday that sleepaway camps wouldn’t be allowed to open for the summer.
“This virus will get into one of these camps and it will spread,” state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker told reporters Saturday.
The state, he said, had previously dealt with 50 outbreaks of H1N1 flu in summer camps that led to 1,600 people getting sick.
Across New York City on Friday, a total of 1.7% of test results for the infection were positive. The numbers, by borough: 2% in Queens; 1.8% in the Bronx and Brooklyn; 1.2% in Manhattan; and 1.1% on Staten Island.
The state, according to Cuomo, went from the country’s worst infection rate to the best.
“Virtually all the other states reopened and saw the number go up,” he said. “We re-opened, the number continues to drop.”
Western New York is expected to enter Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan on Tuesday. Tattoo parlors and nail salons will be back in business with restrictions.
Florida is one of the states where cases are climbing. The Sunshine State hit a record high for the third day in row — 2,581 news cases were reported Saturday, according to the Miami Herald. The state has had a total 73,552 cases.
On Friday, the CDC predicted that the number of COVID-19 deaths in the US could go as high as 140,000 by July 4. Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, North Carolina, Utah and Vermont could see their death totals jump.
Friday’s death toll nationwide stood at 115,059, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Elsewhere, the number of dead in Brazil reached 41,828 Saturday, making the country’s death toll the second highest in the world behind the US. Brazilian health officials reported 909 deaths Friday.
The country began lifting restrictions to stop the spread of the virus allowing a limited opening for some shops.