Governor Cuomo mandates New Yorkers to wear masks in public

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday said he will sign an executive order making it mandatory for people to wear masks or face coverings in public whenever social distancing was not possible.

"If you're going to be in public and you cannot maintain social distancing, then have a mask and put the mask on when you are not in socially distanced places," Cuomo said.

He said that there will be a three-day window before the order is enforced allowing people to secure masks or coverings, adding that the state would consider issuing civil penalties to people who failed to abide by the order.

"You see the flattening of the curve," Cuomo said. "We're not out of the woods ... but we can control the spread."

The Governor also informed that New York had reported 752 deaths in the last 24 hours which is slightly lower than the previous day.

New York remains the epicentre of the American coronavirus outbreak and, with over 200,000 cases, accounts for about one-third of the country's cases. More than 11,500 people have died from coronavirus in the state.

( With inputs from ANI )