Image: Governor Andrew Cuomo, Daily COVID-19 Briefing, April 1, 2020. Source: Office of the Governor of New York

(Reuters) – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would close down the playgrounds in New York City in an effort to bolster social distancing steps and limit the number of coronavirus-related deaths, which are approaching 2,000 in the state.

Cuomo told a daily briefing that the number of coronavirus cases in his state had increased to 83,712, up from 75,795 from a day earlier, with deaths rising to 1,941, up from 1,550.

Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut and Maria Caspani in New York.

_____

Source: Reuters