Rick Cotton, the head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has tested positive for the coronavirus, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Monday.

Cuomo said that Cotton’s staff will also undergo testing for the virus.

The governor also noted that he could have had contact with Cotton after the Port Authority official contracted the virus, but has not undergone testing.

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"You want to prioritize who you test because you're looking for the positive," Cuomo said Monday, Fox News reported. "I am not a probably positive -- you are looking to test the probable positive."

The governor also said at a news conference that the number of cases in the Empire State has risen to 142, putting it ahead of Washington state, once the epicenter of the virus outbreak in the U.S.

Most New York cases have been recorded in Westchester County, which has closed several schools in response.

Cuomo also announced that any New York school where a student tests positive for the virus will be closed for 24 hours to assess the individual case, after which “a determination will be made about whether to close the school for longer.”

For all NY schools we are setting a new policy that if a student tests positive for #Coronavirus in a school, that school will be closed for a 24hr period so we can do assessment of the situation.



Then a determination will be made about whether to close the school for longer. — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 9, 2020

Cuomo during the news conference also unveiled a supply of state-made hand sanitizer produced by inmates at Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, N.Y.