New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks about the coronavirus during a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Albany, N.Y. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)
Paul Buckowski / Albany Times UnionThe family of a 50-year-old New Rochelle man, who tested positive for coronavirus Tuesday, has also tested positive for the virus, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
His wife and two of their children, a son and daughter, had been under quarantine in their home in Westchester County while health officials tested them for the virus. The man, a Manhattan attorney, has an underlying respiratory illness that could worsen the effects of the disease, and is in “critical condition” at a New York City hospital.
The man’s son, an undergraduate at Yeshiva University, had not been seen on campus since Feb. 27. The school announced Wednesday that all classes at its Washington Heights campus were canceled.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as well as to all those affected,” Yeshiva University officials said in a statament on its website. “We will continue to pray for full recovery for all those who are impacted by COVID-19.”
Canceling classes “will allow us to work with city agencies and other professionals to best prepare our campus and ensure the uncompromised safety of our students, faculty and staff,” officials said.
The daughter is a student at Modern Orthodox Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy in Riverdale, or SAR Academy, which announced its closure Monday. Two other Jewish day schools in New York, one in Mamaroneck and another in White Plains, followed suit.
The man used the New Haven Line of Metro-North to commute for work.
The family has two other children who live in Israel.
The family’s neighbor, who drove the man to the hospital, also tested positive for the virus.
“We are so grateful in New Rochelle to be home to people of every tradition, circumstance and faith. That is something we are proudest of. We have large Jewish and Orthodox communities. This is a moment when we need to come together and support our neighbors,” New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson said Tuesday. “It is time for appropriate focus and concern that does not stray over into unjustified panic, which is only self-defeating.”
Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler also directed Young Israel of New Rochelle to halt all services immediately and for the foreseeable future due to potential exposure connected to the man.
Congregants of Young Israel who attended services Feb. 22, and a funeral and a bat mitzvah at the temple on Feb. 23, were directed to self-quarantine until at least March 8. Those who do not self-quarantine will be mandated to by the County Department of Health to do so.