New Yorkers will soon be required to wear a mask or face covering when going out in public and are unable to maintain six feet of social distancing in order to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday said. 

Cuomo announced the executive order will take effect in three days. For now, no fines will be issued for not wearing a mask, but local governments will be in charge of enforcing the order. 

Masks — either medical grade face masks or cloth masks that can cover a nose and mouth — will be required to wear in crowded public areas like mass transit.

Masks will be required in "any situation in public where you cannot maintain social distancing," Cuomo said.

The announcement comes as hospitalizations in New York are declining, as well as new intubations. 

But at the same time, 752 people in New York died from the virus in New York in the last 24 hours. 

Ever since New York went on "pause," everyone has been anxiously awaiting for Cuomo to press play. 

"First rule, do no harm," Governor Cuomo urged with caution. 

The only way Cuomo said he sees the state reopening is through either more testing or a vaccine. Both options will need the help of the federal government. 

"It's over when we have a vaccine. When do we have a vaccine? Twelve to 18 months," Cuomo said.

Aside from a vaccine, a reliable medical treatment is another way to help people feel safe. Things such as convalescent plasma, antibody testing, and hydroxychloroquine are all things New York is working on testing.

Starting this week, the Department of Health will be conducting around 2,000 antibody tests a day that will allow the state to tell if a person has caught COVID-19 and recovered, hypothetically allowing them to return to work.

Tests will go first to first responders, health care workers, and essential workers first. Once the FDA approves this test, people tested can increase to 100,000 a day. But Cuomo said it will really come down to what the federal government can do to implement large-scale testing, saying the state can not do it on its own. 

For reference, the state has done more than 500,000 tests to date. California, Florida and Michigan have done around 492,000 tests combined.