Coronavirus

Coronavirus Updates: NYC cancels all large events through September

COVID-19 Live Updates, News and Information

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Sunday, July 12, 2020

NY nursing home visitation resumes, residents allowed 2 guests

New York State health officials announced Friday that limited visitation will resume at nursing homes and long care facilities in the state, with each resident allowed two guests provided the facilities have been COVID-free for at least 28 days.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Connecticut is marking its second day this week with zero deaths from the coronavirus, while New York state is once again allowing nursing home visitations.

Gov. Ned Lamont said Connecticut has 78 new positives tests out of 12,594 administered, a positivity rate of just .6%. The state is reporting 47,287 total cases, with a death toll of 4,348.

Meanwhile, New Jersey's rate of transmission dropped below one, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday.

NEW YORK CITY

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Alternate Side Parking is suspended next week through Sunday, July 19.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Alternate Side Parking would be suspended for another week.

On Thursday, the mayor canceled all large events requiring a city events permit through September 30 -- including the West Indian Day Parade and Feast of San Gennaro -- as the city works to prioritize open spaces for public use.

The city will not issue a permit for any event in a location that interferes with the Open Streets or Open Restaurants program, and permits will also be denied for all events larger than one block, stage/video events that require amplification, street fairs, and events in parks that may unreasonably diminish public use. The city will refund or defer fees paid in connection with a denied permit.

Events that do not conflict with Open Streets or Open Restaurant areas and are for locations one city block or smaller can still apply for a permit.

NEW YORK STATE

Nursing homes and long term care facilities in New York will be allowed to resume limited visitations for facilities that have been without COVID-19 for at least 28 days, the Department of Health announced Friday. Residents in these facilities will be allowed two visitors at a time, and the visitors must undergo temperature checks, wear face coverings and socially distance during the visit.

Indoor shopping malls were also allowed to reopen across New York state starting on Friday as long as they have special air filtration systems in place. It applies to regions in Phase 4 of their reopening, which does not include New York City. Check our list of malls set to reopen.

New York State will also send the COVID-19 medication Remdesivir to Florida as the state struggles with a resurgence of cases, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. Enough of the drug to help the state care for 280 COVID-19 patients will arrive Saturday and will help hold over Florida as it awaits shipments of Remdesivir to arrive from the federal government.

"When New York was climbing the COVID mountain with no end in sight and resources were scarce, we were incredibly moved by the generosity of states around the country that stepped up to provide supplies and medical personnel in our time of need," Cuomo said. "I said at the time that we would return the favor if and when other states needed help."

NEW JERSEY

New Jersey's rate of transmission dropped below one, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday.

On Wednesday, the rate of transmission was 0.98. The state's spot positivity also dropped, the rate for tests from Monday was 2.23%. Hospitals reported 904 patients receiving treatment.

"Our great hope is that spot positivity rate remains low single digits, that RT remains below one and not above one and that new hospitalizations are measured in a few dozen, hopefully we get to zero," Murphy said.

As for the backlog at the Motor Vehicle Commission, expiration dates have been extended for driver's licenses, non-driver IDs, vehicle registrations, inspections, and temporary tags. Documents expired between March 13 and May 31 have been extended to September 30. Documents expiring June 1 through August 31 have been extended to December 31.

CONNECTICUT

For the second time this week, Connecticut had a day of no COVID-related deaths in the state, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday.

The state administered 12,594 tests Thursday and 78 came back positive, a positive rate of 0.6%. Hospitals reported 77 patients being treated, a decrease of 13 from the day before.

Lamont said Connecticut will pause going into Phase 3, "erring on the side of caution," after seeing what happened in other states. The decision means bars will not reopen and gatherings will be limited to 25 people inside and 100 outside.

"We never opened our bars," Lamont said. "We never opened our restaurant up to 50% capacity. Let's take a pause. Let's keep it to 25% inside and 100 people outside."

Connecticut's Phase 3 reopening was expected sometime in mid-July.

CATHOLIC SCHOOL CLOSINGS

The Archdiocese of New York announced that 20 Catholic schools will be unable to reopen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and three other schools will merge.

The coronavirus public health crisis has had a devastating financial impact on Catholic school families and the greater Archdiocese, officials said.

The Diocese of Brooklyn is closing six schools.

ZOOS REOPENING

The Wildlife Conservation Society announced plans to reopen the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and Queens Zoo on Friday, July 24, after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic since March 16.

WATCH EYEWITNESS TO A PANDEMIC (Episode 4)

It overwhelmed the health care industry, it put millions out of work, it drowned social services in an ocean of need and threatened the food supply Americans had long since taken for granted. At the apex of the crisis and for the weeks that followed, no part of life, or even what followed life, was spared.