Coronavirus Updates: Gov. Cuomo says New York to start 'direct enforcement' in hot spot ZIP codes

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Sunday, October 4, 2020

Gov. Cuomo says NY to start 'direct enforcement' in hot spot ZIP codes

Cuomo said the action will be similar to the state's enforcement of bars and restaurants.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- "Direct enforcement" of businesses in the high-risk cluster areas will begin Monday by New York state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday during his teleconference briefing.

Cuomo said the action will be similar to the state's enforcement of bars and restaurants.

"Local businesses that are in violation of the law will be fined and can be closed, just like the bars and restaurants," Cuomo said. "If there are business violating the gathering rules, they can be fined and they will be closed. You know the state is serious because they can look back at what we did with bars and restaurants. They were fined and they were closed when they are in violation, and it was highly effective."

Cuomo also said there isn't enough testing being conducted in schools in the hot spot zip codes, and the state can step in and do more if necessary.

"If you look at the districts and you look at the districts in the hot spot zip codes, you see very few tests," he said. "I'm saying to the districts in the hot spot zip codes, you need to do more tests more quickly in those schools in those hot spot zip codes because they can be a transmission point. If the local governments have any issue with doing more tests in those schools, contact the state. We can help you, we can even do it for you...but we want additional tests, right away, starting tomorrow, in those schools."

What to know about coronavirus:

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What's Open, What's Closed in the Tri-State area

Here are more of today's headlines:

New Jersey Department of Health receives names of at least 206 individuals that attended Trump campaign events in Bedminster

The White House supplied the names of 206 people who attended Trump Campaign events in at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey to officials.

Fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19 at age 81

Kenzo Takada, the iconic Franco-Japanese fashion designer famed for his jungle-infused designs and free-spirited aesthetic that channeled global travel, has died. He was 81.

The family said in a statement to French media Sunday that Takada died from complications from COVID-19 in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris. A public relations officer for Kenzo's brand confirmed that Takada died, but didn't give a cause of death.

NYC proposal to shut down schools, nonessential businesses in hot spot ZIP codes

Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed Sunday closing non-essential businesses and schools, including dining, in nine New York City zip codes. The announcement comes after Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered more enforcement in hotspot zip codes. "Local businesses that are in violation of the law will be fined and can be closed, just like the bars and restaurants," Cuomo said.

President improving from COVID-19, but not 'out of the woods' yet, doctor says

President Donald Trump went through a "very concerning" period Friday and faces a "critical" next two days in his fight against COVID-19 at a military hospital, his chief of staff said Saturday - in contrast to a rosier assessment moments earlier by Trump doctors, who took pains not to reveal the president had received supplemental oxygen at the White House before his hospital admission.

Trump remained at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sunday. He offered his own assessment of his status Saturday evening in a video from his hospital suite, saying he was beginning to feel better and hoped to "be back soon."

12 NYC neighborhoods with COVID-19 positivity rates above 3%

The New York City Health Department continues to track four concerning clusters of COVID-19 cases in Southern Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Central Queens and Far Rockaway.

These clusters include 12 neighborhoods in New York City with positivity rates above 3%, accounting for over 30% of new cases citywide over the past two weeks despite representing 9.0% of the city's overall population.

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie checks into hospital after testing positive for COVID-19

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and adviser to President Donald Trump says he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Guggenheim Museum welcomes back visitors on Upper East Side

The Guggenheim Museum has reopened to visitors after having been shut down due to the coronavirus since mid-March.

Carriage horses return to Central Park

Carriage horses will return to Central Park Saturday for the first time in six months. The drivers are planning to offer free rides to health care workers and first responders with identification. Just a dozen carriages will be allowed, and they'll be sanitized between each ride. Mobile Health, a professional occupational testing company, performed all of the rapid PCR tests for the horse carriage drivers and all results were negative of COVID-19.

Carriage horses will return to Central Park Saturday for the first time in six months.

Stay informed with ABC7's NYC COVID-19 positivity rate tracker

As New York City public schools inch closer to reopening in-person learning, much of the success will rely heavily on schools keeping the COVID rate of infection in check. According to the city, public schools can only stay open if the COVID positivity rate stays below 3%. To stay informed, you can follow ABC7's NYC COVID-19 positivity rate tracker.

MORE NEWS: Watch Eyewitness to a Pandemic

The sense of doom grew, especially after March 1, when the first confirmed case arrived in Manhattan. Soon, there was a hotspot in New Rochelle, and small curfews and containment zones across the area offered a hint of a frightening future we still thought we could avoid.