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For Immediate Release: 5/1/2020 GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO

AMID ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES SCHOOLS AND COLLEGE FACILITIES STATEWIDE WILL REMAIN CLOSED FOR THE REST OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR Directs Schools and Colleges to Create Re-Opening Plans that Re-Imagine Facilities to Be Approved by the State State is Partnering with Kate Spade New York Foundation and Crisis Text Line to Provide 24/7 Emotional Support Service for Frontline Workers; Workers Can Text NYFRONTLINE to 741-741 Department of Financial Services to Require New York State-Regulated Health Insurers to Waive Out-of-Pocket Costs for Mental Health Services for Frontline Essential Workers Announces New Targeted Efforts to Further Reduce Number of New Hospitalizations per Day Five New Drive-Through Testing Facilities Now Open in Monroe, Erie, Broome, Niagara and Oneida Counties Confirms 3,942 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 308,314; New Cases in 48 Counties Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced all K-12 schools and college facilities statewide will remain closed for the rest of the academic year and will continue to provide distance learning during that time. The schools will also be required to continue meal programs and child care services for essential workers. The state will make a decision about summer school programming by the end of May. Governor Cuomo is also directing all schools and colleges to create re-opening plans that re-imagine school facilities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. These plans should consider how schools can monitor the spread of COVID-19; how to reinforce student safety; when and how to resume extracurricular activities; protocols for special student populations; steps to ensure student mental health; alternative academic calendars; among other considerations. All plans will be reviewed and approved by the state. The Governor also announced the state is partnering with the Kate Spade New York Foundation and Crisis Text Line to provide a 24/7 emotional support service for frontline health care workers. Those workers can text NYFRONTLINE to 741-741 to access these emotional support services. The Governor also announced that the State Department of Financial Services will require New York State-regulated health insurers to waive cost-sharing, including deductibles, copayments and coinsurance, for in-network mental health services for New York's frontline essential workers during COVID-19. DFS will also issue an emergency regulation to prohibit insurers from imposing cost-sharing for telehealth and in-person mental health services rendered by in-network providers on an outpatient basis to frontline essential workers eligible to be tested at one of the State's drive through or walk in COVID-19 testing sites. The Governor also announced new targeted efforts to further reduce the number of new hospitalizations per day, which has remained steady at approximately 1,000 over the last several day. This new effort will gather additional information and data from hospitals about the individuals who are being hospitalized for COVID-19, including if they are essential workers, where they work, how they commute, where they live and other demographics. This specific information and data from the hospitals will be used to come up with a new strategy more tailored to the reduction of new daily hospitalizations. The Governor also announced five new drive-through testing facilities have opened and are now accepting patients in Monroe, Erie, Broome, Niagara and Oneida Counties. Residents who would like to be tested at these facilities must make an appointment by calling 888-364-3065 or online at covid19screening.health.ny.gov. Information about the location of these new facilities is located below: • Niagara County: Niagara County Community College, 3111 Saunders Settlement Rd, Sanborn, NY 14132 • Erie County: Buffalo Sabres Lot, 125 Perry Street, Buffalo, NY 14204 • Broome County: Binghamton University - Event Center (Lot F/F3) • Monroe County: Monroe County Community College, 1000 E Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623, Lot G • Oneida County: Griffiss International Airport, 592 Hanger Road, Rome NY, 13441 "It's critical that we protect our students from this virus, and given the current circumstances we are in we do not think it is possible to put the necessary precautions in place that would allow us to re-open schools this academic year," Governor Cuomo said. "All schools and colleges will continue to provide distance learning, meal delivery and child care services for the remainder of the school year. And in the meantime, we want schools to start developing a plan to re-open with new protocols that incorporate everything that we are now doing in society and everything that we have learned from this pandemic. This has been a hardship on everyone, but our educators across the state have done a phenomenal job stepping up to make the best of this situation." Finally, the Governor confirmed 3,942 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 308,314 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 308,314 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows: County Total Positive New Positive Albany 1,204 39 Allegany 35 0 Broome 299 15 Cattaraugus 49 2 Cayuga 51 3 Chautauqua 35 2 Chemung 123 1 Chenango 99 1 Clinton 61 2 Columbia 202 32 Cortland 28 0 Delaware 61 0 Dutchess 3,002 48 Erie 3,481 162 Essex 28 0 Franklin 15 0 Fulton 75 4 Genesee 154 1 Greene 139 8 Hamilton 3 0 Herkimer 60 2 Jefferson 61 0 Lewis 9 0 Livingston 73 4 Madison 139 8 Monroe 1,478 37 Montgomery 54 1 Nassau 36,161 307 Niagara 440 20 NYC 169,690 2,212 Oneida 451 12 Onondaga 860 28 Ontario 91 1 Orange 8,751 101 Orleans 92 3 Oswego 64 1 Otsego 67 0 Putnam 990 20 Rensselaer 298 11 Rockland 11,812 104 Saratoga 358 4 Schenectady 514 13 Schoharie 43 1 Schuyler 7 0 Seneca 41 2 St. Lawrence 176 3 Steuben 216 0 Suffolk 34,037 373 Sullivan 880 42 Tioga 90 2 Tompkins 128 0 Ulster 1,298 19 Warren 182 6 Washington 170 22 Wayne 71 0 Westchester 29,232 262 Wyoming 68 1 Yates 18 0

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