Dozens of hospitals in New York have been ordered to stop elective surgeries due to low bed capacity. The New York State Department of Health made the announcement on Saturday, which ordered 40 hospitals, mainly in the central and western regions, to stop non-essential, non-urgent elective surgeries after meeting the state's threshold for low-capacity facilities. The order means that impacted hospitals must turn away these types of procedures for a minimum of two weeks. "We will use every available tool to help ensure that hospitals can manage the COVID-19 winter surge," Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said.