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Updated May 26th, 2020 at 10:50 IST

Cuomo thanks essential workers on Memorial Day

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joined a private Memorial Day ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan Monday, where he held his daily coronavirus briefing and honored both the sacrifices of military members and essential workers who lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joined a private Memorial Day ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan Monday, where he held his daily coronavirus briefing and honored both the sacrifices of military members and essential workers who lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Over 100,000 Americans will lose their lives to this COVID virus. How do we honor them? We honor them by growing stronger together," he said.

"We want to make sure we remember them and thank our heroes of today," he added.

Cuomo said the state of New York would be providing death benefits to the families of those who died from the virus while working on the frontlines.

He called on the federal government to use federal funds to pay hazard pay to essential workers.

As the holiday approached, Cuomo loosened coronavirus-related restrictions last week to allow small public gatherings — initially just for Memorial Day observances and religious services. He extended the eased rules Friday to all gatherings after the New York Civil Liberties Union sued, saying that if it was safe to gather to honor veterans and practice religion, the Constitution requires the same right be extended to other gatherings.

The rules now allow get-togethers of as many as 10 people, provided that participants stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) away from one another or cover their faces when unable to maintain that distance.

The coronavirus causes only mild symptoms in many, but it can cause serious illness or death for some, particularly older adults and those with certain health conditions.

The U.S. ranks first in the world in the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Worldwide, the outbreak has infected more than 5.4 million people and killed over 345,000, according to the same Johns Hopkins University tally based on figures supplied by government health authorities around the globe, though it has become increasingly clear that the true numbers are much higher.

 

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Published May 26th, 2020 at 10:50 IST

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