NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo is deploying the National Guard to a New York City suburb that has the largest known cluster of coronavirus cases in the state.

New Rochelle, a small city just north of New York City in Westchester County has108 confirmed cases of the virus, Cuomo said at a news conference Tuesday.

Due to the high concentration of COVID-19 cases in New Rochelle, the state is moving from a containment strategy to one of mitigation. The steps include minimizing gatherings and closing schools, community centers and houses of worship within a 1-mile radius of the center of the outbreak, which is believed to be a synagogue.

"You're not containing people. You're containing facilities," Cuomo said, acknowledging what will be "a period of disruption for the community."

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Beginning Thursday, all facilities within the containment radius will be closed for two weeks to allow for thorough cleaning and to assess the situation. The National Guard will be deployed to the containment area to assist in cleaning schools and delivering food to quarantined residents, Cuomo said.

"This can't be a political decision. This is a public health decision," Cuomo said. "When you politically intervene in science, that's when you often make mistakes."

State authorities did not plan to implement travel restrictions, but because it is now believed that the coronavirus can live for up to two days on hard surfaces, Cuomo is asking public transportation authorities to vigorously increase cleaning of buses and subways.

While New York City's 1,800 public schools will remain open, some private schools and universities canceled classes or are shifting classes online. Cuomo said that if a student in any New York state school tests positive for COVID-19, the school will be closed for at least 24 hours, possibly longer depending on an assessment of the situation.