New York Gov. Cuomo is freezing evictions until August 20 for people who can't pay their rent because of the coronavirus

• New York Gov. Cuomo said the state is freezing evictions for renters who cannot pay due to the coronavirus pandemic until August 20.
• "On a human level, I don't want to see people and their children being evicted at this time," Cuomo said.
• Despite hospitalizations and new infections remaining mostly flat, 231 New Yorkers died as a result of the virus on Wednesday, Cuomo said.
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New York is freezing evictions until August 20 for renters who cannot pay due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday.

"The number one issue that people talk to me about probably is rent, and fear about being able to pay their rent, and this just takes that issue off the table until August 20," Cuomo said in his daily coronavirus update from New York Medical College in Westchester.

"On a human level, I don't want to see people and their children being evicted at this time," he said.

The state will also allow renters to use their security deposits as payment, and ban any late fees.

Here are the other key takeaways from Cuomo's Thursday update:

• 231 New Yorkers died from COVID-19 on Wednesday, a figure that Cuomo called "painfully high." The death toll has remained flat over the past few days.
• Hospitalizations and new infections are declining as well. Cuomo said the state is "over the mountain," but there's a concerning trend developing: hospitalizations are increasing for those over the age of 51.
• The state recorded 3,491 new cases in the state on Thursday morning — partially a result of more widespread testing — bringing the statewide case total to 327, 469.
• "We'll figure out the dollars and we'll figure out the economic impact, but we'll protect people in the meantime and we'll protect their health," Cuomo said of reopening. He added he won't open anything that would put him — at age 62 — at risk.
• Cuomo called the argument to reopen the economy at the expense of elderly and other vulnerable people "absurd."
• "This is not a situation where you can go to the American people and say, 'How many lives are you willing to lose to reopen the economy?' We don't want to lose any lives," Cuomo said.
• Cuomo announced the $25 million Nourish New York initiative has purchased food from over 2,100 New York farms to donate to food banks in New York City and other downstate counties. This program will benefit 20,000 households in New York. If you are looking to donate or assist food banks, reach out too: COVIDPhilanthropies@exec.ny.gov.
• A study of healthcare workers in New York City and other downstate counties found that healthcare workers were less likely to have COVID-19 antibodies than those tested at New York City supermarkets. Cuomo said those findings may be explained by healthcare workers diligently using protective equipment like gloves and N-95 masks, and following proper hygiene protocols.
• "Those masks work," Cuomo said. "If they're working for front line workers, they're going to work for people in their day-to-day lives."
• Those numbers build on findings from the results of a patient survey released on Wednesday, which found that the majority of COVID patients — 66% — were people who were largely sheltering at home.
• As for New York City residents who have fled the city to suburbs or other rural areas, Cuomo said he understands that compulsion but "when emotion is high, logic is low."
• He said the city's financial district came back "better than before" following the 9/11 attacks, which killed thousands of New Yorkers, and expects the city to rebound from coronavirus in the same fashion.