The mayor, who acknowledged that such a move had to be coordinated with state officials, did not elaborate on what an order would look like in the city. A similar directive in California’s Bay Area requires people to stay at home except for essential activities.

But not long after Mr. de Blasio’s comments, Governor Cuomo tamped down any suggestion that a shelter-in-place order was imminent.

“There’s not going to be any you-have-to-stay-in-your-house rule,” Mr. Cuomo said on NY1.

[Get the latest news and updates on the coronavirus in the New York region.]

As of Tuesday, more than 1,700 people in New York State had tested positive for the virus, up from 950 the day before; 923 of the cases were in the city. Sixteen people had died from the virus in New York State, including at least 10 in the city.

[New York may need 18,000 ventilators very soon. It is far short of that.]

Here’s what else you should know: