"We may consider mandatory actions later," Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday when asked about private businesses that are unwilling to adhere to the state's new crowd guidelines.

Last week, state officials instituted measures to try to curb the spread of COVID-19 that included canceling gatherings of 500 people or more. Spaces with the ability to hold fewer than 500 people have been asked to cut their occupancies by half.

When asked Sunday about large congregations of people at bars and restaurants in New York City, Cuomo said, "If bars are violating the law, the NYPD should come in and shut them down."

He will revisit the situation if the private sector doesn't follow the new state guidelines.

The governor’s former top policy aide, Jim Malatras, who now serves as the President of SUNY Empire State College, is back in the service of state government, this time working with counties to ensure that schools that close their doors are also serving the needs of students who may be either hungry, homeless or both.

New York now has 729 confirmed coronavirus cases, a number that has increased in recent days as testing has expanded.