State of Emergency Declared in New Yorkbr Over Rise in COVID-19 Cases On March 7, Governor Andrew Cuomobr declared a state of emergency in New York. The declaration is due to concerns surroundingbr the spread of COVID-19 in the state, as the totalbr number of confirmed cases now sits at 76. Under Cuomo’s declaration of emergency,br the state will be able to speed up supply purchasesbr and the hiring of workers in relation to the virus. It will also allow the state to circumventbr purchasing regulations, if necessary. The latest COVID-19 case appears to be a taxi orbr ride share driver in Queens, whose positive testing ledbr to more than 40 hospital workers being quarantined. The epicenter of the coronavirus in New York,br with 57 total confirmed cases so far, appears to bebr just north of New York City in Westchester County. The cases are believed to stem from thebr second confirmed case of coronavirus inbr the state, a 50-year-old lawyer who livesbr in New Rochelle and works in Manhattan. In addition, there have been 11 confirmed casesbr in NYC, 4 cases in Nassau County, 2 cases inbr Rockland County and 2 cases in Saratoga County.