Coronavirus Updates: Spike causes university to limit size of campus gatherings

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ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Sunday, October 18, 2020
Spike causes Notre Dame university to limit size of campus gatherings
University President John Jenkins is blaming "social activity over the past weekend" for the outbreak.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Officials at the University of Notre Dame are limiting the size of gatherings on campus after a recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

University President John Jenkins is blaming "social activity over the past weekend" for the outbreak.

31 new cases were reported this past week after fewer than five the week before.

Reverend Jenkins was one of more than a dozen attendees at the White House Rose Garden Nomination Ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett who later tested positive.

He admitted to not wearing a mask at the event.

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Ski resorts in New York will be allowed to open at 50% indoor capacity beginning November 6, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says.

NY vaccination program

Gov. Cuomo announced NY State is putting together a COVID-19 vaccination program. Cuomo said the federal government will be in charge of providing the vaccines, while local governments participate through the state. The state will prioritize vaccines to essential workers and those with health risks.

2 USS Theodore Roosevelt sailors test positive for COVID-19

Two sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for COVID-19 while the ship was conducting training off the coast of California and have been taken off the ship to self isolate, a U.S. Navy spokesman said.

A mass outbreak of novel coronavirus aboard the carrier this past spring affected a quarter of the ship's 5,000 sailors led the Navy to put in place procedures intended to limit any similar outbreaks aboard its ships at sea.

Students randomly tested without consent

New York City's Department of Education is taking action after some students on Staten Island were randomly tested for COVID-19 without their parents' consent.

Police bust Queens banquet hall with more than 200 inside

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Gov. Cuomo announces reopening date for movie theaters outside NYC

Beginning October 23, movie theaters in New York, outside of New York City, will be allowed to reopen with up to 25% capacity and a maximum of 50 people per screen.

Block-by-block 'micro-cluster strategy' will target increase of spread, Cuomo says

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state will employ a "micro-cluster" strategy to fight the spread of the coronavirus this fall. "We are now going to analyze it on the block by block level," Cuomo said. That means more targeted testing, mitigation measures that reflect why the virus is spreading in those specific areas, and increased enforcement. Cuomo said the strategy has the advantage of causing less disruption overall.

Know your NYC COVID Zone

You can find your COVID zone at NYC.gov/covidzone.

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