New Yorkers are busy dialing 311 for the 411 on coronavirus.
In the past two weeks, the city’s helpline has been swamped with nearly 20,000 questions about the deadly, fast-moving virus, according to the agency.
Callers want to know everything from prevention tips and symptoms to public gathering guidelines and transportation changes.
Since the city reported its first case on March 1, COVID-19 calls have climbed from roughly 50 a day to nearly 6,000 — an eye-popping 11,900%.
On Thursday alone, for example, calls surged 79% after Gov. Cuomo halted all gatherings of more than 500 — a move that shut down scores of venues, including Broadway and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The city has been pushing New Yorkers hard to call 311 with their coronavirus questions. On Wednesday, Mayor de Blasio even got on the horn himself.
He wrongly told an asymptomatic caller who had returned from coronavirus-ridden Italy that she should stay home “if anything changes at all.” The CDC, though, recommends that anyone who has traveled to Italy should absolutely stay home for 14 days.
A city spokeswoman later admitted the mayor “misspoke.” City Hall issued a public correction and reached out to the caller to give her the right information.
Before the outbreak, the system averaged about 50,000 calls a day. The agency has bumped up staffing to handle all the coronavirus calls.