Members of the New York Army National Guard hand out bags of food to residents at a food distribution station outside a high school in New Rochelle, New York, on Thursday. Photo: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg

A key New York lawmaker says there are no plans to postpone or shorten this year's legislative session, even as the COVID-19 outbreak forces the closures of public events nationwide.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Westchester, suggested that contentious criminal justice matters that have taken center stage this year, such as marijuana legalization and changes to bail reform, would take a backseat as government leaders focus on curbing the spread of COVID-19, the disease associated with the novel coronavirus.

"We are appropriately focused on what is really happening in our state, in the country," she told reporters Wednesday. "So, obviously we are doing business, but the focus is on what's happening in so many of our communities across the state."

She said there have been no discussions on closing the state Capitol.

New York remains among the most impacted states in the nation and is shifting on several fronts to hamper the spread of a virus that has infected more than 100,000 people worldwide.

State officials on Thursday announced there are 325 coronavirus cases in New York, with 109 of those being new. Of the total cases, 148 are tied to Westchester County and 95 are in New York City.

Stewart-Cousins' comments come as lawmakers continue to consider a state budget proposal from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo, a third-term Democrat who often uses the state budget to push through his policy initiatives, proposed legalizing marijuana in his budget proposal outlined earlier this year.

Last month, Cuomo said he would not approve the state budget without changes to a law that did away with cash bail for the wide majority of misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies.

Supporters of the bail law say the changes help prevent poor defendants from spending long stretches in pretrial detention for low-level crimes.

The law, enacted at the beginning of this year, grew into one of the most heated debates this session as it faced fierce opposition from law enforcement officials and prosecutors. They argue the changes jeopardize public safety and do not give judges enough discretion over who should be kept in jail as their cases work through the criminal justice system.

But despite weeks of fierce debate over the topic, it remains unclear how or if lawmakers will change the bail law amid the focus on the coronavirus outbreak.

"We have to focus on our priorities," Stewart-Cousins said Wednesday. "And of course our priority is always going to be public health and trying to make sure, in the absence of any easy solutions, trying to make sure that we weather this storm."

Cuomo also announced a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people on Thursday as New York angled to slow the coronavirus' spread and state government officials reported more than a hundred new cases.

The ban was one in a volley of moves rolled out by government officials to stymie the virus' reach and prevent new cases, which also included new restrictions on seating capacities.

Cuomo said the rules would close the world-famous Broadway theater industry, beginning Thursday evening.

"This is going to get much worse before it gets better. That was always the fact," Cuomo said at a press conference in Albany on Thursday. 

With a total of 148 cases, Westchester continues to remain the focus of New York's outbreak, government officials reported. Ninety-five cases were tied to New York City on Thursday while several upstate counties reported their first cases.

Meanwhile, places with a seating capacity of under 500 people must reduce that by half—in order to increase personal distance—starting at Friday at 5 p.m., Cuomo also revealed Thursday. 

Mass transit, nursing homes, schools and hospitals will be exempted from the rules, Cuomo said.

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