During his Covid-19 update Tuesday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced a new initiative that he said aims to crush burgeoning coronavirus clusters as they begin to pop up across the state during the anticipated second wave of the pandemic.
"The fall is here. What happens in the fall? The leaves come down ... (and) the virus goes up," Cuomo said.
"You see the virus increasing across the country and across the globe. Countries that had it under control are now struggling again," he added.
Across the state, Cuomo said, Covid-19 infection rates are way down from their peak in late spring.
"We have what I call a Covid cluster problem, but a cluster problem is serious, because a cluster problem can grow," Cuomo said.
"The virus spreads in mass gatherings, we know this from our own experience from what we've seen, and from what every expert tells us," he added. "A mass gathering causes infection. Infections cause a cluster, and a cluster causes community spread.
"That is the natural evolution of things, unless we intervene and we stop the cycle," Cuomo said.
"We've seen it in houses of worship," the governor added. "We had the first hotspot cluster in the United States of America in New Rochelle, a super-spreader who attended a temple service and then attended a wedding and that was it. We were off to the races."
Cuomo mentioned clusters in Binghamton, and Orange, Rockland and Nassau counties downstate, as well as in Brooklyn and Queens.
He did not allude to any clusters that may have been uncovered in Buffalo and Western New York.
He described a cluster as a small, high density area of cases that grows outward in a pattern that resembles concentric circles.
"When you see the cluster, you have to stop it at that point," Cuomo said.
Those clusters, he added, can be mapped out with special software.
Clusters are not determined by ZIP codes or Census tract, but by the number of cases in a small area.
Cuomo divided them into the cluster area, the warning area and the precautionary area.
Cuomo also announced new rules for red, orange and yellow communities.
In the cluster or red zone – which is the most impacted area – houses of worship will be restricted to 25% of capacity, or up to 10 people. In that sphere, no mass gatherings will be allowed, and only essential businesses may open. Only takeout dining will be allowed and school buildings will be closed.
In the warning or orange zone, houses of worship will be allowed to operate at 33% of capacity, or a maximum of 25 people. Masked gatherings, indoors or outdoors, will be limited to 10 people. The state will close high risk, non-essential businesses, such as gyms and beauty salons. No indoor dining will be allowed, and a maximum of four people to a table will be allowed for outdoor dining.
In the precautionary or yellow zone, houses of worship will be constrained to operate at 50% of capacity. Masked gatherings will be limited to 25 people. Business will be allowed to be open, including indoor and outdoor dining, but with a maximum of four people allowed per table.
"Also, the schools – public or private – in the yellow zone must do mandatory weekly testing," Cuomo said. "Schools are often a place of transmission."
The governor said he will be increasing the fine on sponsors of mass gatherings to $15,000.
"We're going to be providing the local governments with the maps that we did in their areas. We'll be consulting with them. These were done specifically from the actual case numbers themselves," Cuomo said.
The new rules are expected to go into effect as soon as Wednesday, but no later than Friday, Cuomo said. Testing for schools within the yellow zones will start next week.
