Cuomo to New Yorkers: All non-essential workers stay home

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered the state's workforce to stay home in an effort to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Only essential businesses permitted to stay open. 

"We need everyone to be safe, otherwise no one can be safe," Cuomo said during a Friday morning presser.

"This is the most drastic action we can take," he said. 

The provisions of the mandate will be enforced with civil fines. Cuomo emphasized the importance of the public safety measure to young people who have not been heeding the call to stay home.

The PAUSE order falls short of a shelter in place command, like the one presently being enforced in California at the directive of Governor Newsom - though he is calling it a "safer-at-home" emergency order. On Tuesday, the New York Governor said he does not think a shelter in place order will be effective in his state, despite the desire of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio to impose on on the city.

New York State is currently reporting 5,500 confirmed cases of the virus, 3,954 of those in the city of New York, meaning the five boroughs currently carry 70% of the state's total case numbers.