April 12, 2020- Albany, NY- Governor Andrew Cuomo holds daily Coronavirus press briefing in the Red Room. (Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)

ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday said he will issue a new COVID-19 Executive Order that requires employers to provide essential workers with cloth or surgical masks – free of charge – to wear when directly interacting with the public.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy recently issued a similar order.

The governor also announced he will issue an Executive Order to expand eligibility of individuals to conduct antibody tests to help ensure as many New Yorkers as possible have access to antibody testing.

Cuomo also joined National Governors Association Chair, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan in a bipartisan effort calling for $500 billion in aid to states in the next round of COVID-19 federal funding. The federal CARES Act approved last month contained zero funding to offset drastic state revenue shortfalls.

The Governor also reiterated his call for the Federal government once again allow resident to claim State And Local Tax (SALT) deductions on their federal tax filings.  The SALT provision in the 2017 federal tax reform measures eliminated all but $10,000 of the federal deduction for state and local taxes, known commonly as the SALT deduction, costing New Yorkers millions of dollars annually in federal taxes.