As New York continues to try to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, minority populations are seeing more new cases.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says most of the zip codes with new COVID-19 patients are in areas with high African-American and Latino populations.

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“It's saddening and it's disheartening,” says state Sen. Monic Martinez (D-Brentwood). “These are people's lives we're talking about, families that we're losing.”

Sen. Martinez says her community also needs better access to medical care and the shutdown should remain in place until that happens.

“We want New York to reopen. We really do. But we will not be able to reopen New York until we focus on these communities,” she says.

Testing sites have been established in some hot spots, and now Gov. Cuomo is enlisting Northwell Health to conduct additional testing at 24 churches in minority communities.

The New York Pause Program is set to expire on May 15. In order to restart the economy, regions of the state have to meet the state’s criteria which includes a decrease in hospitalizations for two weeks.

Nassau Executive Laura Curran says that the county may not meet that criteria until the end of June. She also said that the state should consider allowing some industries, like construction and appointment retail, to open sooner.