国际英语新闻:New York state extends helping hand to southern U.S. COVID-19 hotspots

NEW YORK, July 20 (Xinhua) -- New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that the state would establish two testing sites in the country's COVID-19 hotspots in Savannah, Georgia to help the city combat the pandemic.

The sites, located in Temple of Glory Community Church and Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship, will provide up to 500 tests per day, according to the governor.

The state of Georgia, with a population of around 10 million, has reported over 145,000 cases by Monday afternoon, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson, II said last week that in the first 13 days of July, Chatham County, where Savannah is located, has had more COVID-19 cases than March, April, May, and June combined.

"As part of New York State's ongoing commitment to helping cities and states throughout the nation, we're glad to be able to provide two testing sites for highly-impacted minority communities in the great city of Savannah," said Cuomo at his briefing.

New York state will also provide the southern city with some 124,000 surgical masks, 7,500 test kits, 7,500 gowns, among other medical supplies.

Cuomo also said he would depart for Savannah later on the day with members of New York's COVID-19 task force. He will meet with local officials and health experts to discuss best practices to fight the pandemic.

Johnson said he's grateful to Governor Cuomo and his team for "graciously partnering to help us fight back against this devastating virus," according to a press release by Cuomo's office.

New York state, which has successfully bent the curve of COVID-19 at home, has committed to helping other cities and states in order to return the favor it had gained during its worst time in this fight.

Last week, Cuomo announced that the state has established two church testing sites in Houston, Texas, and would send testing and contact tracing teams to Atlanta, Georgia. It has also sent COVID-19 medication Remdesivir to the state of Florida.