NEW YORK - Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday called for new measures to protect tenants who are struggling to pay rent as the city continues to grapple with the coronavirus outbreak.

During his daily briefing from City Hall the mayor called on the Rent Guidelines Board to enact a rent freeze for the city’s roughly one million rent-stabilized apartments.

It comes a day after the board met for the first time remotely.

The mayor says the board is "more focused on interest of landlords than vast majority who are tenants," adding the challenges landlords face "pale in comparison" to tenants.

The mayor says the state also needs to approve several protective measures. They include allowing tenants to pay rent with security deposits, allowing tenants who miss rent to repay over 12 months and to extend the eviction moratorium for 60 days beyond the crisis.

Tenants are advised to call 311 if they are having any rental issues.

As far as the latest numbers, Mayor de Blasio says the three big indicators are going in the right direction.

As of April 21, the number of people admitted for suspected COVID-19 is 176, down from 227.

The number of people currently in H+H ICUs for suspected COVID-19 is 786, down from 796.

The percentage of people citywide who tested positive is 30 percent, down from 32 percent.

Public health lab cases show a positive rate of 52 percent, down from 57 percent.

The mayor said this latest data is a good indicator of the measures being taken to contain the spread and urged New Yorkers to keep doing what they're doing.

"Social distancing, shelter in place, you made this happen. Now we have to keep doing it. The plan that we stated from the beginning. Do this - all indicators down for 10 days to two weeks. That's when we can actually start to talk about how to begin loosening up these restrictions and taking a step towards normalcy," De Blasio said.

The mayor also discussed the city's grassroots effort to reach communities hard hit by the virus.

He says they are expanding programs to include tele-town halls with local faith leaders, mailings and pro-active wellness calls.

Testing is also being expanded with additional sites located near city public housing complexes opening next week.