A man wearing a mask walks past a closed Manhattan Supreme Court at 60 Centre St. Photo: Ryland West/ALMA man wearing a mask walks past a Manhattan Supreme Court at 60 Centre St. Photo: Ryland West/ALM

With a predicted surge in legal needs stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office says a pro bono network of attorneys will start offering help this week. 

The third-term Democrat said Saturday that the assistance could cover housing issues or access to government programs.

"You're dealing with bureaucracies and applications. So there's a host of need on the legal front. We're hearing about it all across the board," Cuomo said.

The New York State Bar Association announced last month it would be partnering with the state court system on the network. The state bar association said there is a training scheduled Tuesday for attorneys interested in volunteering their services.

Their website also has a portal where attorneys can sign up to volunteer. The site lists several practice areas in which lawyers can help, including unemployment assistance, bankruptcy and housing-related matters.

Last month, Cuomo signed an executive order issuing a 90-day moratorium on the eviction of any residential or commercial tenant.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, chairman of the chamber's judiciary committee, has warned New York will see a "tidal wave" of evictions after the 90-day moratorium. People who have lost their income, he says, will suddenly be mandated to pay past rent. 

New York continued to see a wave of new coronavirus-related deaths over the weekend, with the state on Sunday reporting 758 new deaths tied to the virus. That brings the total number of deaths in New York to 9,385 as of Sunday. In New York City, black and Hispanic people have made up a disproportionate number of the deaths, preliminary data suggests.

Despite the grim death toll, Cuomo said there were signs that New York is curbing the virus' pressure on the health care system, pointing to overall downtrends in the number of new hospitalizations and new people being intubated. 

"The curve of the increase is continuing to flatten," he said Saturday. "The number of hospitalizations appears to have hit an apex."

State figures show more than 188,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in New York. 

Meanwhile, New York's prison agency has reported a rise in the number of staff members and prisoners who have tested positive for COVID-19. Figures posted online show that more than 550 staff members have been infected, along with upward of 130 prisoners. 

The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has recently declined to share widespread data about how many cases are tied to specific facilities. The agency cited "security reasons" in their explanation. Last month, the agency provided the workplace location of at least two employees who had tested positive for the coronavirus.

New York's approach stands in contrast to the federal Bureau of Prisons, which operates an online map that identifies how many confirmed coronavirus cases are tied to each specific facility. 

Cuomo on Sunday indicated his support for having the state prison system provide similar information.

"I think it's a good idea. I don't know how practical it is, but I think it's a good idea," he said.