“All the global experts say the same thing: This virus has phases, and when the phase changes, your plan must change. We are seeing an increase in numbers across the country and within our own state. It started in the fall and it will continue and likely to worsen in the winter, “Cuomo said.” As we go through the holidays and winter months, it will be more imperative than ever for New Yorkers to wear their masks, wash their hands, avoid large and small gatherings, and become New York Tough. “
The state positivity rate was 3.72% and a total of 21
Cuomo said the positive test rate in the state’s microcluster focus zone areas was 5.69%, while in areas outside those zones it was 3.13%.
Officials also closely monitor the number of admissions.
The state reported that 471 new COVID-19 patients were treated in hospitals in New York, bringing the total state to 3,103.
In addition, 39 new coronavirus-related deaths were reported.
MORE: Cuomo: Micro-cluster zones, schools and vaccine focus in New York’s winter COVID plan
On Thursday, Cuomo said officials were working on a winter plan for coronavirus that would add measurements for how the state designates viral hot zones.
Cuomo said the state will continue to search in small geographic areas where virus cases are a particular problem to avoid imposing broad state restrictions, taking into account factors such as the frequency of hospitalizations and the availability of ICU beds.
“We will continue with the micro-cluster approach because it is targeted at proliferation, minimizes the economic impact and emphasizes individual and social responsibility,” the governor said. “It works very well and all the experts think it’s modern.”
Cuomo insisted that New York “is doing phenomenally well” compared to the rest of the country.
The Democrat said the New York winter plan will also look at ways to keep schools open by evaluating a safe positivity rate as well as determining the test level at schools needed during the winter months. The winter plan also describes how vaccines are distributed when they become available.
ALSO READ: ‘Irrelevant’: Cuomo responds to Supreme Court religious restrictions
On Wednesday, a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling prevented the state from enforcing certain limits on participation in churches and synagogues in areas that had been labeled hot hot zones. The district court sided with religious organizations in the state, saying that while attendance was restricted to worshipers, other businesses in state-designated red zones could remain open with no capacity restrictions.
Cuomo said the verdict was “irrelevant to any practical impact” as the restrictions in the red zone have been removed and it was “more illustrative of the Supreme Court than anything else.”
“Why make a decision in a case that is difficult and come up with a different decision than you did several months ago on the same issue? You have a different court. And I think that was the statement that the court made, ” he said.
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn’s Catholic Diocese praised the ruling, saying the restrictions “do not really make sense when you look at the amount of space we have in our churches.”
“Our diocese has been very strict in enforcing the rules that keep people safe,” DiMarzio told reporters. “We in no way want people to get sick in our churches.”
MORE COVID NEWS: “COVID tested” flights to take off from JFK, Newark airports next month
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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