Non-essential businesses and schools will remain closed until at least April 29 in New York amid nascent hope social distancing efforts are showing signs of working against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I know that's a negative for many, many reasons,” Cuomo said on Monday in his daily briefing. “I know what it does to the economy. But I said from day one I'm not going choose between public health and the economy."

There are now 130,869 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York and 16,837 people have been hospitalized. There are 4,504 people who are in intensive care units. In the last 24 hours, 599 people have died from the virus.

Still, the number of deaths has been essentially flat in the last day. And the number of hospitalizations has fallen, Cuomo said.

New projections show there will be a need of 55,000 hospital beds, down from the worst-case-scenario of 110,000 to 140,000 beds that would be needed.

And while the numbers provided a glimmer of hope, the state will continue to enforce social distancing efforts to continue the progress, the governor said.

“It is hopeful, but it depends on what we do,” Cuomo said, pointing to other areas of the world that “let their foot off the gas too quickly.”

Fines for failing to adhere to social distancing will double from $500 to $1,000.

Meanwhile, efforts to fight the virus on the frontlines have expanded, with a temporary hospital at the Javits Convention Center in New York City opening to coronavirus patients.

The anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine has shown early promise in helping some patients with treatment, Cuomo said, but it is too early to determine if the drug shows long-term positive effects.

New York will also be receiving ventilators from Washington state and California after Oregon and Chinese businessmen donated ventilators over the weekend.

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