Coronavirus Updates: NYC mayor says tests show COVID cluster positivity 'plateauing'

COVID-19 Live Updates, News and Information

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Cuomo plans for vaccine, de Blasio says COVID cluster positivity 'plateauing'

NJ Burkett reports on COVID cases in NYC and rising tensions between Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio started his daily briefing with some good news for New York City, saying, "We are seeing a plateauing of the test results now."

He said that he feels that the increased testing efforts have really helped in the COVID cluster areas in Brooklyn and Queens.

"We can stop it in these areas of Brooklyn and Queens and therefore protect the whole city," de Blasio said.

He urged everyone to remain vigilant in their social distancing and mask-wearing efforts to help prevent a second wave spike.

What to know about coronavirus:

How coronavirus changed the New York region

Do you have coronavirus symptoms?

NYC COVID-19 positivity rate tracker

Here are more of today's headlines:

LIU Post goes remote

LIU Post in Nassau County is going remote after an increase in COVID-19 cases. School officials say the move will last for at least two weeks out of an abundance of caution. Teaching faculty will also work remotely.

Only the veterinary graduate program will continue in pereson.

Murphy protects NJ residents utilities, internet service

Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order extending the moratorium on utility shutoffs. No household in New Jersey may have its electricity, gas service, or water shut off for nonpayment through March 15th, 2021. Service must be restored if it's been disconnected during the public health emergency.

There is also now a moratorium against the disconnection of internet or voice services extended through November 15th, 2020. Households with school-age children who need internet connectivity for remote learning will be extended through March 15th, 2021.

Rising COVID-19 numbers growing concern in New Jersey

New Jersey's positivity rate would now put the state on its own quarantine list after seeing 953 positive tests across the state Wednesday.

It's a growing concern in New Jersey as the COVID-19 numbers continue to rise. With that in mind, the Paterson school board made a decision to extend remote learning until Jan. 19.

Thanksgiving gatherings pose a high COVID risk, Dr. Fauci says

There's a warning about Thanksgiving from the nation's top infectious disease doctor, Anthony Fauci. He says the family gathering holiday poses a huge health risk, especially to people who are older or have underlying health problems.

COVID-19 transmission risk on airplanes 'virtually non-existent' when passengers wear masks

A new study released Thursday shows that the risk of COVID-19 transmission is "virtually non-existent" during air travel when passengers wear masks.

The study, conducted by the Department of Defense in partnership with United Airlines, found that when seated with a mask on, "only 0.003% of particles actually made their way into another passenger's breathing zone." The results have yet to be peer-reviewed.

Governor Cuomo, other governors, send letter to president about vaccine

Governor Cuomo said that the expected coronavirus vaccine will need a plan for administering it once ready in states across the country. He and other governors sent a letter to President Trump requesting a meeting to figure out how that will work. "It is a massive undertaking," Cuomo said. "And I'm telling you there's no simple answer and it's very expensive and complicated."

Fears of second wave spread in Europe

Fears rose Thursday that Europe is running out of chances to control its fall coronavirus outbreak, as infections hit record daily highs in Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland. France slapped a 9 p.m. curfew on many of its biggest cities and Londoners faced new travel restrictions as governments imposed increasingly tough measures. New infections have surged across Europe over recent weeks as the fall kicks in, prompting authorities to start re-imposing restrictions relaxed over the summer. The Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, France and Britain are among the countries causing particular concern.

The head of the World Health Organization's Europe office urged governments to be "uncompromising" in controlling the virus. "These measures are meant to keep us all ahead of the curve and to flatten its course," Dr. Hans Kluge said, while wearing a mask. "It is therefore up to us to accept them while they are still relatively easy to follow instead of following the path of severity."

Sen. Kamala Harris halts travel due

Joe Biden's presidential campaign said Thursday that vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris will suspend in-person events until Monday after two people associated with the campaign tested positive for coronavirus. The campaign said Biden had no exposure, though he and Harris spent several hours campaigning together in Arizona on Oct. 8.

New York City releases winter outdoor dining guidance

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order Wednesday, authorizing use of temporary outdoor heaters to extend outdoor dining in winter months in New York due to COVID-19. Participans in the Open Restaurants program will have three options to provide comfort heating for their customers. The options include: electric radiant heaters, natural gas radiant heaters and portable heaters fueled by propane.

Know your NYC COVID Zone

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