Mayor Bill de Blasio holds media availability on COVID-19 at NYC Emergency Management.
Lev Radin | Pacific Press | Getty Images
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday urged people to work from home as the deadly coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S. and the death toll continues to rise.
“For a business that can allow more employees to telecommute, we want you to do that,” he said at a press briefing. “We simply want to reduce the number of people on mass transit just to open up some more space.”
“The challenge,” he continued, “is people just packed like sardines” in New York City, where he said it can be much easier to transmit disease among tight crowds.
New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot, who joined the mayor on stage, directed New Yorkers to seek out the city’s mental health counseling services if they are feeling anxious or depressed over the outbreak.
“New Yorkers are hearing every day about new cases all over the world. they are hearing about…
