Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is the first public official in the region to test positive for coronavirus.

The announcement came from Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday afternoon who said New York now has the most coronavirus cases in the nation.

"Rick Cotton has tested positive for the coronavirus so he is going to be in quarantine, he's going to be working from home," Cuomo said.

Cotton elected to be tested after learning that an individual he had contact with outside the Port Authority had been confirmed positive, according to Port Authority spokeswoman Lindsay Kryzak, who added he did not visit any airports as Cuomo claimed during a press conference Monday. He received the test results Sunday night.

The state Health Department advised taking precautionary measures for those who had contact with Cotton since Friday, which is why a number of Port Authority staff who had meetings with him Friday are working from home at this time, she said.

"Mr. Cotton is currently asymptomatic and has self-quarantined at his home while maintaining a full schedule," the Port Authority said in a statement. "Any staff members who have had close contact with him in recent days are also working from home as they follow the guidelines and protocols put in place by the New York State Department of Health.”

Port Authority headquarters are at 4 World Trade Center, which sits above the Oculus transit hub in downtown Manhattan. Some 8,000 people work for the Port Authority at its various sites around New York and New Jersey.

As of Monday morning, the number of positive cases in New York jumped from 105 on Sunday to 142 — largely in Westchester. That is at least one more than in Washington state, Cuomo said. Across the river in New Jersey, the total case count is up to 11.

Colleen Wilson covers the Port Authority and NJ Transit for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering the region’s transportation systems and how they affect your commute, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: cwilson2@lohud.com Twitter: @colleenallreds