Weather: A chance of rain all day, with strong wind and a high in the mid-70s. Sunny but cooler over the weekend.
Alternate-side parking: Suspended through Tuesday because of the coronavirus outbreak.
New York City has seen an “explosion” in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, Mayor de Blasio said yesterday evening, as he called on the federal government to send millions of masks and other medical supplies.
The supplies are needed by April to ensure the city’s health care system can “bear the brunt of the coronavirus crisis,” Mr. de Blasio said.
It was an extraordinary description of how ill-prepared public and private hospitals are for the expected hospitalizations in the days and weeks ahead.
[Get the latest news and updates on the coronavirus in the New York region.]
As of Thursday evening, 3,954 people in the city had tested positive for the coronavirus, and 26 people had died, Mr. de Blasio said. The city health department said a little more than half of all New York City’s confirmed cases were people who were less than 50 years old.
Latest Updates: Coronavirus Outbreak in New York
Statewide, there were 4, 152 confirmed cases and 29 deaths.
Here is what else you need to know:
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Governor Cuomo ordered most businesses to keep 75 percent of their workers home, up from 50 percent. “It’s a very negative circumstance, but you’re going to have time on your hands,” he said at a morning briefing in Albany. Among the essential industries that are exempt from the rule are food; health care and pharmacies; banks; warehousing and shipping; and media.
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If you are not working, mortgage payments will be waived for 90 days, Mr. Cuomo said.
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Starting Friday, all New Yorkers applying for or already receiving public benefits like food stamps, cash assistance and rent payments will no longer have to seek help in person for any reason.
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All services will be available online or over the phone, after the city negotiated with New York State to waive in-person requirements, said Isaac McGinn, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Social Services.
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Connecticut postponed its presidential primary from April 28 to early June, state officials said yesterday. New York officials are considering whether to move the state’s primary, which, as of Thursday, was still scheduled for April 28. New Jersey’s primary was already set to be held on June 2.
From The Times
This Year, Only 10 Black Students Got Into N.Y.C.’s Top High School
92 Years Old, Scared and Pleading to Come Home
Want more news? Check out our full coverage.
The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.
What we’re reading
On Twitter, Mayor de Blasio asked Elon Musk, C.E.O. of Tesla, for help obtaining ventilators. [Politico New York]
The president of the union representing hotel workers, Peter Ward, said 95 percent of those employees would lose their jobs by next week. [New York 1]
Even Rao’s, the notoriously hard-to-get-into restaurant, is offering takeout food. [New York Post]
And finally: Work it out
The Times’s Rebecca Halleck writes:
Many of us are staying inside. We’re all a little anxious. And we’re already wearing sweatpants.
For those feeling healthy, fitness organizations and professionals in the New York City area are offering several kinds of virtual classes.
Here are six local gyms and instructors moving classes online. You can also search social media or an app store to find a workout that appeals to you.
Church Street Boxing, which has three locations in Lower Manhattan, is streaming classes live on its Instagram account (@churchstreetboxinggym). Trainers will coach you through footwork, punches and conditioning exercises. To participate, all you need is cellphone service or Wi-Fi and “a good night’s sleep,” the gym’s owner, Marc Sprung, said.
Gotham Gymnastics in Brooklyn is streaming an assortment of its Quaranteam classes on Instagram (@gothamgymnastics). The free sessions include strength and conditioning, injury prevention and stretching. Find the schedule here.
Upper West Side Yoga, a neighborhood studio, is streaming classes, including some for children and older adults, on Zoom, a remote conferencing website. The studio is offering two weeks of unlimited yoga for $39. Browse the schedule or sign up here.
[Can I jog outside? Exercise in the time of the coronavirus.]
Amanda Kerpius, a yoga instructor and massage therapist from Brooklyn, started a YouTube channel, Empowered Self by Amanda Kerpius, this week. Her videos, which she plans to post daily, will be tailored for three audiences: advanced power vinyasa yogis, long-distance runners and people experiencing anxiety or insomnia.
Charlee Atkins, a personal trainer in New York City, streams free workouts on her Instagram account (@charleeatkins). Ms. Atkins says her workouts are designed for the “at-home athlete,” using body weight or minimal equipment, such as chairs, bands or small dumbbells.
Gerren Liles, a personal trainer and fitness instructor based in New Jersey, teaches high-intensity interval training, strength and cardio circuits. This morning at 7:30, Mr. Liles will live-stream a free class on his Instagram account (@gerrenliles). He also has courses available through the subscription-based Mirror and All/Out Studio apps.
It’s Friday — you’ve got to keep on moving.
Metropolitan Diary: Two, please
Dear Diary:
I was at the box office to get preview tickets for “West Side Story.” I chose two seats in the center of the mezzanine.
“Do you think I can see and hear from these seats?” I asked the man selling the tickets.
He looked at me.
“What am I, your doctor?” he said.
— Jerilyn Kaplan
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