Gatherings with more than 500 people will temporarily be banned in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday when announcing one of several “dramatic actions” to contain the coronavirus. The governor said the ban would start for most places at 5 p.m. Friday. The ban for Broadway theaters will start 5 p.m. Thursday. “We’ve already been talking to the Broadway theatres and they’re aware that we’re going to be doing this,” Cuomo said. Cuomo said venues of under 500 people can only be filled to half their capacity. STAY UPDATED WITH BREAKING UPDATES FROM YWN VIA WHATSAPP – SIGN UP NOW Just click on this link, and you will be placed into a group. The ban does not apply to schools, hospitals, nursing homes and mass transit. The number of confirmed cases in New York state jumped to 328 from 216 on Wednesday. New York City had 95 cases. Meanwhile, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday that all gatherings of more than 250 people should be canceled in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Murphy, a Democrat, issued a statement noting the guidance is based on a recommendation from the state’s health commissioner and includes sporting events, parades and concerts. But it stopped short of ordering the cancellation of all such events. Murphy’s comments came the same day that Freehold Raceway said it’s temporarily stopping operations because a person who was there over the weekend was in contact with someone who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. (AP)

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