'Staten Island is a serious problem': Gov. Cuomo warns NYC borough headed for COVID red zone

Parts of Upper Manhattan, Long Island could reach yellow zone
Monday, November 23, 2020
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned parts of Staten Island could be headed to a red zone at the current rate.

In a press conference on Sunday, Cuomo had a grim outlook for the New York City borough, saying "Staten Island is a serious problem."

The governor made it clear that Staten Island could go into an orange zone in some parts, and a red zone for others as soon as this week at the current rate.

RELATED | 'Everybody close down': Newark issuing 10-day stay-at-home advisory
Newark issuing 10-day stay-at-home advisory

"Unless they dramatically change the trajectory of the infection rate, this week they will go into those zones," Cuomo said.

In addition, Cuomo announced that the borough is running into a hospital capacity issue that will have to be dealt with over the next few days.



However, Staten Island isn't the only area in the city where the governor said rising COVID rates could lead to a zone change.

"We have several communities that are in the warning track," Cuomo said.

He says parts of Upper Manhattan and Long Island are likely to advance to a yellow zone.

With the holidays approaching, Cuomo also predicted the state's positivity rate could break 10% during the post-Thanksgiving and post-holiday periods.

MORE NEWS | Cuomo sticker lets governor peek in on your Thanksgiving gathering
Guess who's coming to dinner? NY company makes Cuomo sticker

"You have a trajectory where it goes so high, the whole scale changes," he said. "I would not be shocked if they said on January 10, January 15, we are up at 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%. That could very easily happen if we are irresponsible. It could even be higher if we are irresponsible. It is purely a function of what we do."

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE


Coronavirus by zip code - New York City
[Ads /]
CDC updated Thanksgiving guidelines
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut out-of-state travelers information
New CDC guidelines on masks
New York City Positivity Tracker
How coronavirus changed the New York region
Do you have coronavirus symptoms?
[Ads /]
UPDATES
New York City
New Jersey
Long Island
Westchester and Hudson Valley
[Ads /]
Connecticut
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus



Submit a News Tip
Copyright © 2024 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.