Coronavirus Update: Cuomo orders New Yorkers to wear masks in public

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday announced an executive ordering requiring residents of the state to wear face masks in public. The order will go into practice on Friday, and will apply to locations including stores and public transportation.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she plans to begin the gradual re-opening of the national economy on Monday. However, precautions related the virus's outbreak will continue to be taken. 

The world death toll on Wednesday exceeded the 2 million mark. 

The U.S. had  2,228 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, a single-day record, amid other signs that the worst of the pandemic could be over in the country and officials considering plans to relax health mandates and reopen the economy.

In New York City, the death toll sharply increased Tuesday to 10,000. However, that number included 3,778 people who died before getting tested and considered “probable” coronavirus victims.  

The state of New York, hit hardest in the U.S. by the virus, reports the number of hospital visits for the virus has decreased, a sign, along with other key markers, that the worst might be over. 

Still, the U.S. has the most reported cases – 609,685 – with Spain a distant second at 177,683. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in the country is now unofficially at 26,059. 

President Trump on Tuesday suggested his administration’s plan to reopen the county will be incremental, with parts of the U.S. least impacted by the pandemic being the first to ease stay-at-home requirements and allowing Americans to go back to work.

Governors on the East and West coasts have formed coalitions to jointly restart their regional economies. 

A looming standout between Trump and some of those governors on how to reopen the country seemed defused Tuesday, or at least for now, as the president and state leaders expressed a willingness to work together.