New York, Apr 20 (IANS): New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday said his state, which is the worst hit in the US, is "past the high point" of the virus outbreak but they still have to exercise caution

"Whether or not the descent continues depends on what we do. This is only halftime in this entire situation," he said in his daily press briefing, the BBC reported.

Noting the outbreak was "slowing, not growing", the Governor said: "We have a very small margin of error here."

New York recorded 507 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, continuing its downward trend.

At this, Cuomo said: "The recent news is good, that we are on the other side of the plateau and the numbers are coming down. But that's good news only compared to the terrible news that we were living with, which is that constant increase.

"We still have more to do."

And for local officials facing pressure over shuttering of schools, parks and businesses, he said, "Blame me."