Mayor Bill de Blasio has called for a national enlistment program for doctors and nurses to handle what he calls an expected surge in COVID-19 cases.

The mayor said he believes the coming week will be very tough for the city and state, as well as other cities such as Detroit and New Orleans.

MORE: LIVE BLOG - Coronavirus updates from the tri-state area and beyond 
TRACKER: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut coronavirus cases and deaths  

The mayor said in part Friday that, “unless the military is fully mobilized, and we create something we’ve never had before, which is some kind of national enlistment of medical personnel moved to the most urgent needs in the country constantly, if we don’t have that, we’re going to see hospitals simply unable to handle so many people who could be saved.”

Mayor de Blasio also said on CNN that the country should be on “wartime footing” to meet the coronavirus threat.

“We’re fighting a war against an invisible enemy that is increasingly taking the lives of Americans in vast numbers,” said de Blasio.

Health officials say more than 1,500 people in New York City have died due to coronavirus. Temporary hospitals and a US Navy hospital ship are being used to help in the fight against coronavirus.