Cuomo Closes Some New York Restaurants, New Zone Metrics
Gov. Cuomo started his press conference by saying to slow the spread of COVID-19 new rules must be released.
Private household gathers are driving the spread, Cuomo announced. 74 percent of new cases are coming from household gatherings, Cuomo confirmed.
"We believe this is going to increase over the holidays," Cuomo said.
Restaurants and bars are 1.43 percent of new cases, gyms 0.06 percent and hair salons 0.14 percent.
Cuomo brought up the COVID-19 rate of transmission for the first time in a while. He is worried because the number is up to 1.3. That means for every one person infected with COVID it's spreading to more than one person.
"Once that number is over one you are in a problematic state," he said.
Cuomo released new zone metrics:
Red Zone
- A region is 21 days from 90% hospital capacity
Orange Zone
- 4% positivity rate over 10 days
- 85% Hosptial Capacity
- OR DOH determines an unacceptably high rate of hospital admissions
Yellow Zone
- 3% positivity over the past 10 days
- Cluster is top 10% for hospital admissions per capita over the past week and week-over-week growth in daily admissions.
Cuomo added any region or part of a region qualifying for a new zone will be announced on Monday as officials collect new data from this week and weekend. As of Friday no part of the state is in a Red Zone.
He then announced indoor dining is closing on Monday in New York City. For the rest of New York, the data is still being determined and a decision will come soon if a region will have indoor dining restricted from 50 percent to 25 percent.
Gyms and hair salons will stay open if a region enters an orange zone but capacity will be limited at gyms from 33 percent to 25 percent.
Cuomo called for the federal government to include money for bars and restaurants and said New York State is extending the commercial eviction moratorium
Cuomo said New York health officials reviewed and approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. He added the independent vaccine review task force "unanimously" approved the vaccine.
He believes the pandemic won't be over until the "summer" when New York hits a "critical mass" of people vaccinated.
"New York State's independent COVID-19 Clinical Advisory Task Force — made up of public health experts — convened to review the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. They voted unanimously to approve of the FDA panel's decision. The vaccine is almost here," Cuomo said.
He also announced New York is expected to receive 346,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine around December 21 on top of the initial 170,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine.
Cuomo said the data proves it's safer for children and teachers to be in school than in the public. While it's a school district's decision, Cuomo's advice is for schools to remain open.
"My advice, unless you have data that shows schools are at a problematic infection rate, schools should stay open," he said.
The overall statewide COVID-19 positivity rate was 4.98 percent.