With Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities just around the corner, a surge in infection rate is dreaded. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is thus initiating additional measures to prepare for what he called the high social season of the year.
The corona cases in New York are on the rise especially in parts of Long Island, Staten Island, and Upper Manhattan. This is one of the major concerns for the governor. During a press briefing on Sunday, Cuomo warned communities to change the trajectory of the spread or enter restrictive zones this week.
Cuomo emphasized that if the number of corona cases keeps growing, more laws will have to be put in place and that can be dangerous for the economy as well. The Democrat governor’s concern for inadequate hospital capacity during the resurgence has prompted him to reopen an emergency field hospital.
He said that if this goes on, New York hospitals and the health workers will be overburdened. Hundreds and thousands of Americans will die if the current situation continues.
Gov. Andrew states that under the new restrictions, there will be 3 main zones. Cuomo shared his opinion after observing the virus spreading trend that some areas of Staten Island will be declared red zones whereas other areas might be declared orange zones.
The red zone remains the most dangerous of them all, as in these zones all residential and commercial gatherings will be banned. All unnecessary get-togethers, regardless of the size, are prohibited and many businesses are to be closed.
Thankfully, the orange and yellow zones will have comparatively fewer restrictions and a maximum of 10 and 25 people will be allowed to assemble at both indoor and outdoor events, respectively. As announced earlier by the governor, all businesses that come under “high-risk non-essential use” including gyms, and hair salons will be shut.
Cuomo also received some backlash for his order placing a 10-person limit on gatherings at private residences. He urged law enforcers to make sure these restrictions are implemented.
However, he has also expressed his disapproval about the incompetence of law enforcement officers who decided not to implement his directive. He expressed that law enforcers must support and enforce laws leaving their personal biases aside.
The governor tweeted that responsibility demands that sometimes you have to do what’s right even when it’s hard. Therefore, he urged people that during this holiday season, if they truly care about their loved ones, they must keep the distance.
