Coronavirus Updates: New York hospitalizations hit new low, 11 deaths

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Restaurant owners react to delay of indoor dining in NYC

Indoor dining is being delayed for Phase 3, with the city instead focuses on expanding outdoor dining, of which thousands of restaurants have already taken advantage.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York reported its lowest five-day average in COVID-19 hospitalizations since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, even as the state is delaying some of its reopening to prevent further spread of the virus.

Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that indoor dining will not resume when New York City enters Phase 3 on July 6, citing other states that have seen increases when social distancing and mask protocols were not followed.

New York City beaches, however, are once again open for swimming.

Meanwhile, at least eight cases have been linked to a house party in West Nyack, and Spring Training begins for the Mets and Yankees as they officially head back to work in for the 2020 season.

NEW YORK CITY

Indoor dining is being delayed for Phase 3 with the city instead focuses on expanding outdoor dining, of which thousands of restaurants have already taken advantage.

Raw Video: Declaring "It is not the time to go ahead with indoor dining," NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio puts the brakes on one part of the city's Phase 3 reopening.

Mayor de Blasio announced hospitalizations and ICU patients were under the threshold Tuesday, as hospitals saw 61 admissions and 293 ICU patients and 2% of new tests being positive.

In sports, the New York Yankees and Mets will report to spring training camp Wednesday to prepare for the 2020 season.

City-run beaches and those that are federally controlled have officially reopened, and the city also plans to open three pools by July 24 and 12 more by August 1.

Raw Video: Mayor Bill de Blasio discusses concerns which could delay the restart of indoor dining in New York City.

NEW YORK STATE

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said hospitalizations in the state were under 900 for a third day in a row, as hospitals reported 879 COVID-19 patients on Tuesday.

Cuomo also announced 11 new deaths related to COVID-19 occurred on Tuesday, down from 13 the day before.

On Wednesday the state is expected to surpass a milestone in coronavirus testing as it will exceed four million total tests. On Tuesday, 56,710 tests were reported and the percent positive rate for those tests was 1.1%.

Cuomo said New York is doing more testing per capita "than any nation on the globe."

New York summer camps opened for the first time this week. Six YMCA camps on Long Island saw their first children arrive for up to 10 weeks of fun.

NEW JERSEY

Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday that casinos, outdoor amusement parks and water parks, museums and libraries, indoor recreation and gyms and fitness centers for individualized training by appointment only will reopen on Thursday with social distancing and face covering requirements in place.

Murphy said officials in Jersey City began legal actions Tuesday against The Factory Restaurant and Lounge for what it's saying have been regular violations of the reopening regulations.

New Jersey reported 423 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total to 171,928. An additional 45 deaths brings the state toll to 13,224.

Overall hospital, ICU and ventilator use are down, though there has been a slight uptick in new hospitalizations. Since June 16, new hospitalizations have increased by 2%. Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said hospitals are seeing an increase in allergy-induced asthma and are admitting those patients out of an abundance of caution.

Jersey City became the first city in the country to implement body temperature scans and mask recognition technology at all municipal buildings.

CONNECTICUT

Yale University is planning to welcome students back to campus in August with public health protocols including required weekly testing for the coronavirus, the school announced Wednesday.

To reduce the number of people on campus, Yale is inviting only some undergraduate classes back each semester. Campus housing will be open to first-year students, juniors and seniors in the fall, while only sophomores, juniors and seniors can live on campus in the spring.

COVID-19 CLUSTER LINKED TO NY HOUSE PARTY

Rockland County officials announced a coronavirus cluster Wednesday linked to a house party in West Nyack. Officials say there have been at least eight confirmed cases, with one test pending, in West Nyack and New City.

The patients are mainly among young adults in their 20s, who were connected to the party on June 17. Officials say the party host was already symptomatic, and since the initial party, there were at least two other parties with some common attendees.

COVID-19 IN NEW YORK CITY STARTED AS EARLY AS FEB: STUDY

A new study has shown evidence the coronavirus was circulating in New York City in the beginning of February. The research conducted by Mount Sinai found New Yorkers had antibodies to the virus as early as February 23.

A new study has shown evidence the coronavirus was circulating in New York City in the beginning of February.

That would mean they would have been infected with the virus about two weeks earlier. The first confirmed case was on March 1.

The new study has yet to undergo formal review, but experts say the work is credible and backs up what many believed.

FAUCI'S WARNING

The U.S. is "going in the wrong direction" with the coronavirus surging badly enough that Dr. Anthony Fauci told senators Tuesday some regions are putting the entire country at risk - just as schools and colleges are wrestling with how to safely reopen.

With about 40,000 new cases being reported a day, Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, said he "would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around."

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.