NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2020) New York City authorities have released as many as 900 inmates from prison and will continue to free more prisoners in a bid to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
"As of the end of yesterday, there have been 900 inmates released from our jail system, there will be more ahead," de Blasio said.
Those released have medical conditions that might put them in life-threatening danger if an outbreak occurs in a highly populated enclosed space, such as prison, he said.
Prior to the spread of COVID-19 and measures taken to contain it, there were around 5,000 inmates in the entire New York City correctional system.
To battle the pandemic, the city authorities had already taken a number unprecedented steps, such as banning of all gatherings, closing down schools, gyms, restaurants, as well as ordering all non-essential employees to work remotely and converting Central Park into a site of a field hospital for COVID-19 patients.
Among the new measures taking effect on Tuesday, de Blasio ordered an immediate shut down to all non-essential construction sites, warning that violators will face "heavy fines." Additionally, the mayor said he had to issue the closure of 10 playgrounds throughout New York City for recurrent violations of social distancing.
Speaking from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, de Blasio also announced that the stadium complex would be turned into a temporary hospital with 350-bed availability to receive COVID-19 patients.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said earlier on Tuesday that with 5,686 newly confirmed cases of the virus, the city now has 43,139 COVID-19-infected residents
