“I urge New Yorkers to maintain carrying masks, socially distancing and washing their fingers, and native governments should proceed to implement state public well being steerage,” Cuomo mentioned in an announcement. “By staying vigilant and sensible, we are able to beat COVID collectively.”
As soon as the epicenter of the pandemic within the US, New York had boasted a check positivity charge — the proportion of assessments being carried out that come again optimistic for the virus — of lower than 1% for greater than a month. That charge broke 1% on Saturday as Cuomo reminded New Yorkers “we can’t drop our guard.”
Although the speed of optimistic assessments continues to be low relative to different states, neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn are seeing instances “proceed to develop at an alarming charge,” in accordance with a information launch from town’s Division of Well being.
Public faculties in New York Metropolis are returning to the classroom for the primary time this week, however officers may determine to shut faculties, restrict gatherings and challenge fines for not carrying masks.
“For the primary time within the metropolis’s restoration interval, there might be the speedy scaling again of actions in these ZIP codes if progress isn’t made by Monday night,” the Division of Well being mentioned final week.
States attain new highs
New York is not the one state to report case counts trending within the incorrect course.
Wisconsin reported its highest single-day case improve on Saturday with 2,817 new instances reported, in accordance with the Wisconsin Division of Well being. The earlier document was 2,533 on September 18, in accordance with the state well being division’s web site.
Final week, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued an government order mandating face coverings in an effort to maintain infections down. In a information launch, his workplace attributed rising instances primarily to infections amongst 18- to 24-year-olds and mentioned the state was “going through a brand new and harmful section” of the pandemic.
“We want your assist to cease the unfold of this virus, and all of us have to do that collectively,” Evers mentioned.
In the meantime, instances in Florida have exceeded 700,000, although it’s certainly one of 10 states reporting fewer new instances this week in comparison with final. It’s joined by Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia.
The variety of new instances reported is holding stead in 19 states. Twenty-one are seeing extra new instances reported than final week: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington state, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Authorities break up giant gatherings
To keep away from one other surge, infectious illness professional Dr. Anthony Fauci careworn masking, distancing and avoiding crowds. However authorities have needed to intervene as some proceed to assemble in giant teams.
On Friday night, New York Metropolis Sheriff’s Workplace deputies broke up a marriage of about 300 individuals in Queens, New York Metropolis Mayor Invoice de Blasio’s workplace advised CNN. Each the proprietor and supervisor of the venue had been issued look tickets for a number of misdemeanor offenses.
Weddings and different giant social gatherings have been the origin of a number of outbreaks in coronavirus instances in current months, and authorities have turned their consideration to deterring these occasions and imposing measures towards them.
A Maryland man was sentenced to a 12 months imprisonment Friday after holding two giant events in late March towards the state’s social distancing guidelines, which had banned gatherings of greater than 10 individuals, in accordance with the workplace of Gov. Larry Hogan.
The person grew to become argumentative after he was advised to disband his first get together of about 50 individuals, the state’s lawyer’s workplace mentioned. And 5 days later, he held a second get together of greater than 50 individuals which he refused to finish, saying they’d a proper to congregate and directing his visitors to remain, in accordance with a information launch.
CNN’s Laura Ly, Sheena Jones, Anna Sturla, Dakin Andone, and Chuck Johnston contributed to this report.
