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Coronavirus Updates: New York City positivity rate approaches 2%

COVID-19 Live Updates, News and Information

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

New York City sheriff's office pulls plug on 3 large gatherings

The New York City sheriff's office says it pulled the plug on three large gatherings that were not following coronavirus restrictions.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- As the worldwide death toll from COVID-19 has eclipsed 1 million, New York City's COVID-19 positivity rate is approaching 2%, health officials said Monday, a concerning rise as New York City public schools would close at 3%.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city had 332 new reported cases, with 61 patients admitted to hospitals. The citywide positive tests are at 1.93%

Earlier, Governor Andrew Cuomo also reported elevated positive test rates in Brooklyn, Orange County and Rockland County.

Of the 52,936 tests reported, 834 were positive (1.5% of total). Total hospitalizations are 543, and 11 additional deaths related to COVID-19 were reported on Sunday.

What to know about coronavirus:

Back to school information

How coronavirus changed the New York region

Do you have coronavirus symptoms?

What's Open, What's Closed in the Tri-State area

Here are more of today's headlines:

Worldwide death toll from coronavirus eclipses 1 million

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus has eclipsed 1 million. The milestone, recorded by Johns Hopkins University, comes nine months into a crisis that has devastated the global economy, tested world leaders' resolve, pitted science against politics and forced multitudes to change the way they live, learn and work.

List: Travelers to New York from all but these 31 countries must quarantine

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that international travelers coming from what are considered Level 2 and 3 countries will have to quarantine and fill out a travel form when they arrive in New York.

Cuomo signed the executive order Monday in response to the CDC's decision to roll back screening measures at airports amid rising COVID-19 cases across the world. Health officials say the measure is necessary for contact tracing purposes.

Minor League ballpark transformed into open-air synagogue for Yom Kippur

The COVID pandemic didn't stop a Jewish congregation from hitting a home run on their holiest day. It wasn't a catcher, but rather a cantor standing behind home plate at TD Bank Ballpark in New Jersey.

On this Yom Kippur, the home of the Somerset Patriots Minor League baseball team was transformed into an open-air synagogue.

New Jersey to receive 2.6 million rapid tests

Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that New Jersey would be receiving 2.6 million rapid tests. The first 170,000 tests will come within the next two weeks.

New mobile lab in Paterson offers COVID testing around the clock

The city of Paterson is preparing plans for a possible influx of COVID-19 cases during the colder months. Part of the plan includes a mobile testing unit that will be available day and night. The unit will move throughout the city with a goal of administering a COVID test to as many people as possible.

CDC releases guidelines for Thanksgiving

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued its guidelines for gatherings this Thanksgiving. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others, the CDC says. If you must travel, be informed of the risks involved. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year.

New York City inches closer to return of indoor dining

New York City is highly anticipating the return of indoor dining as the reopening date inches closer. On September 30, indoor dining will be able to resume at 25% capacity. The decision was made early in September by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who said the reopening was made possible thanks to the compliance by New Yorkers.

Dr. Fauci: 'We are not in a good place' as COVID-19 cases rise

With the U.S. averaging 40,000 new cases per day, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci says the country is "not in a good place" right now. In August, Fauci said the U.S. needed to get to 10,000 cases per day to have some control over the coronavirus. Fauci is warning that we may see an increase in deaths as states show an uptick in cases and hospitalizations.

"It's something you don't want to be in a position like that as the weather starts getting cold," Fauci said, warning that the numbers are particularly worrying to him as the colder months set in and people begin to move to more inside activities.

Homeless shelters should be reopened across the state, Cuomo says

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is calling on local governments to re-open homeless shelters as homeless encampments proliferate amid the coronavirus pandemic. The encampments are located primarily in urban areas across the state, he said, and area residents are complaining about them.

"Not only is a homeless encampment a violation of that person's dignity, it's a public health threat now," he said.

New York eviction protections

New York Governor Cuomo says eviction protections for residents have been extended until January 1, 2021 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo first announced a State moratorium on residential and commercial evictions on March 20 to ensure no tenant was evicted during the height of the public health emergency.

Flu shot survey

As fall begins, so does the flu season. Even though the pandemic is still in effect, some parents are planning to skip their children's flu shots this year. A study from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital states that one out of three parents do not plan on having their children vaccinated. In a questionnaire taken last month, the majority of the parents said they are concerned about side effects and that it may not be as effective.

Cuomo responds to calls for state takeover of NYC schools

Gov. Andrew Cuomo responded to the the principals' union calls for the state to takeover the New York City school system after they unanimously declared a vote of "no confidence" for Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza.

NYC sheriff's office pulls plug on 4 large gatherings

The New York City sheriff's office says it pulled the plug on four large gatherings that were not following coronavirus restrictions this weekend. The latest shutdown happened Sunday night at Zebra Lounge on 38th Ave in Flushing, Queens, where 100 people were inside. Three people were charged for violation of emergency order and alcoholic beverage control laws.

Deputies say they found 192 people packed into a karaoke bar in Flushing early Sunday morning that was serving alcohol without a license. On Saturday morning, an illegal gathering of 78 people on Bowery Street in Chinatown was shut down. Neighbors of the karaoke spot in Flushing say they're fed up.

Cases spike in Brooklyn, Queens

New York City is dealing with a new spike in coronavirus cases. Officials pinpoint the increase to several neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, and they are considering taking action to crackdown and stop the spread.

Exclusive: Tenants living in Manhattan hotel alongside homeless men

"We've had fistfights in the hallway during all hours of the day and night, screaming," Douglas Rowan told Eyewitness News. Rowan has lived in an apartment inside the Lucerne on the city's Upper West Side for more than three decades. He lives with 9 other residents inside the building, all senior citizens. During the height of the pandemic, the city wanted to keep homeless men out of crowded shelters for their own safety and decided to put more than 200 men inside the Lucerne.

Click to watch and hear people living in one NYC hotel describe a nightmare situation since their building became a temporary shelter

Stay informed with ABC7's NYC COVID-19 positivity rate tracker

As New York City public schools inch closer to reopening in-person learning, much of the success will rely heavily on schools keeping the COVID rate of infection in check. According to the city, public schools can only stay open if the COVID positivity rate stays below 3%. To stay informed, you can follow ABC7's NYC COVID-19 positivity rate tracker.

MORE NEWS: 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.