Coronavirus New York update: State tightens restrictions as cases rise again

Coronavirus New York news and information

Saturday, November 14, 2020

New York tightens restrictions as COVID cases rise again

With coronavirus cases on the rise again, New York is tightening restrictions on bars, restaurants, gyms, and even the courts.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- With coronavirus cases on the rise again, New York is tightening restrictions on bars, restaurants, gyms, and even the courts.

Statewide, the positivity rate is 2.95%.

Now Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered gyms, bars and restaurants to close at 10 p.m. starting Friday night.

The 7-day rolling average in New York City is at 2.83%, and if it hits 3%, Mayor Bill de Blasio says schools will close and go fully remote. That could happen as early as Monday.

Josh Einiger has more on the New York's tightened restrictions that goes into effect at 10 p.m. on Friday night.

New York state is also putting a temporary stop on jury service starting on Monday.

"In light of advice from our epidemiologist and Governor Cuomo's most recent directives concerning limiting congregation of groups of people in public and private locations, we have made a determination that starting next week, no new prospective trial jurors, both criminal and civil, will be summoned for jury service, for now," Office of Court Administration spokesperson Lucian Chalfen said.

Pending criminal and civil jury trials and bench trials will continue to conclusion. New bench trials and hearings will be conducted virtually.

At least one city councilman, Health committee chair Mark Levine, says indoor dining needs to be canceled, but the restaurant industry says there's no evidence indoor dining is causing the spike.

"I just think this 10 p.m. just knocked out a whole bunch of other industries," said Teresa de l Haba, who owns McSorley's. "I mean, bars, restaurants that were hoping to just hang in until, you know, December and then re-evaluate January, February, because January, February is always slower. So I just think this just puts, you know, a nail in the coffin for some places."

Cuomo says a focus on restaurants could just be the start of a larger shutdown if virus numbers don't stop rising.

Meantime, the CDC has found more than half of households with one COVID case see a second.

Test and Trace Corps are sending kits to positive case homes to monitor temperatures and oxygen to stop the spread.

New York City residents may qualify to self-isolate in a hotel for free, up to 14 days, if they do not have a safe place to self-isolate.

Additionally, CityMD said that it plans to close 90 minutes early each day starting on November 16. In an email to patients, the urgent care states that doctors and nurses have been seeing patients "well beyond normal closing time for months and reached the point where they are sacrificing their own safety and health."

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene updated its data by zip code.

- Seven day average of percent positive by zip code

- Weekly counts of cases and persons tested by zip code

- More refined age breakdowns and trend data

The mayor also provided guidance for the upcoming holidays.

- Safer holiday activities; get creative and stay smart, stick to core four

- Religious services: go virtual or outside

- Gatherings: know your own and others' risk, keep it small, outdoors is safer

- Travel: stay local, travel safely, get tested and quarantine after travel

Find a testing location near you.

MORE NEWS: New Jersey targets indoor dining, bars, casinos amid rising COVID-19 rates