Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday he is suspending indoor dining in New York City indefinitely as of Monday, a result of sustained rises in the five boroughs’ hospitalization and positivity rates. The potential for harsher shutdowns looms.
Mitigating increases in the state’s hospitalization rate has become Cuomo’s top priority — and he recalibrated the state’s micro-cluster model as part of a revised overarching post-holiday plan he unveiled Friday. That plan includes new standards for red, orange and yellow cluster zones and adjusted focus metrics.
If any region in the state is projected to hit 90 percent hospital capacity within 21 days, he will impose a red zone shutdown. That means nonessential businesses, schools and restaurant table service close in a given region for an indefinite time period, a measure reminiscent of spring.
The changes announced Friday are the core of Cuomo’s revised winter plan, which prioritizes hospital capacity and acutely focuses on positivity rates, density, risk level of economic activity and rate of transmission. It’s an interwoven strategy.
New York City has a lower hospitalization rate than 3/4 of the state’s regions and most major U.S. cities, but its density is a heightened risk factor. The new restrictions set to take effect Monday ensure that risk isn’t underestimated.
Statewide, total hospitalizations topped 5,000 (5,164) Thursday for the first time in nearly nine months and grew to 5,321 on Friday, the same day new admissions in New York City topped the mayor’s 200-threshold (205) for the first time since May 9. The city’s hospitalization rate per 100,000 residents has risen every day since Mayor Bill de Blasio debuted the new metric on Monday and is also above threshold, while the seven-day rolling positivity rate now stands at 5.35 percent.
Asked to comment on the anticipated new restrictions ahead of Cuomo’s Friday briefing, de Blasio acknowledged shuttering indoor dining would hurt. The mayor said the return of it in November was credited with the restoration of about 100,000 jobs. But the priority has to be protecting public health, he adds.
“I feel tremendous empathy for restaurant owners, a lot of them are mom and pop businesses, we want them to survive. We need them to survive,” de Blasio said. “At the same time, these numbers don’t lie. For the first time unfortunately all three of our indicators are past their thresholds. That’s a second wave. We have to fight it back to save lives. We have to fight it back to start our recovery.”
Our local restaurants need your help to stay in business. Call Gov. Cuomo now to complain. #1 518-474-8390. No more lockdowns on anybody or anything because of covid. It is neither a cure nor necessary. We do not consent. Besures Tovos