New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered the release of more than 1,000 low-level offenders from local jails across the state to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
“Wherever we can get people out of jails, out of prisons, now, we are,” Cuomo said Friday on MSNBC.
An estimated 1,100 individuals will be available for release, including people who have failed drug tests or failed to appear for court dates or violate the orders of their parole.
The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said it has been told by the governor’s office to begin processing the release of these inmates immediately.
“The Department began canceling any warrant where the individual has identified adequate housing is available and the release of the individual does not present an undue risk to public safety,” the department said in a statement to the New York Post. “This significant action is being taken in response to a growing number of COVID-19 cases in local jails over the past few days and weeks.”
One of the federal guidelines to stop the spread of the virus is social distancing, which involves keeping 6 feet of space between individuals.
The greater New York City area has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. As of Saturday morning, more than 44,000 New Yorkers have been infected with the virus, and 535 people have died.
Cuomo has pleaded with President Trump and other federal health officials to help him obtain medical supplies, construct makeshift hospitals, and provide economic relief to people affected by the outbreak.
