Warnings issued as virus cases rise in New York

After months of declining positive test results, New York reported a spike in new coronavirus cases on Monday, as state and New York City officials continued to warn about dangerous behavior in many communities in and north of the city. Suburbs.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said the statewide rate of positivity was around 1.58 percent, a sharp increase from the results reported on Sunday and previous weeks.

Mr. Cuomo, a third-state Democrat, said the increase was primarily due to rallies in Brooklyn, as well as in Rockland and Orange counties, in the Hudson Valley, saying there was “significant work” in those areas.

Officials are particularly concerned about eight neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, some of which house large Orthodox Jewish communities, which represent About a quarter Of the new cases have been in New York City in the past two weeks, although they account for about 7 percent of the city’s population.

On Friday, New York City health officials began conducting emergency inspections of private religious schools in Orthodox ghettos, threatening to limit gatherings or enforce corporate or school closures if there is no better compliance with social distancing requirements.

In total, the state has reported 834 new cases, out of nearly 53,000 tests, the governor said Monday, adding that the state plans to analyze the daily results by zip code “to see if we can target them” and contact hospitals in those areas.

Mr. Cuomo stressed that “compliance with masks is important,” and urged local governments to impose mask rules and bans on large gatherings, even if residents feel a “compliance fatigue”.

“The virus is not tired,” he said on a conference call in Manhattan. “It’s not time to get tired.”

The results come as New York City – once the global epicenter of the pandemic – prepares for this week The reopening of its public schools More students are allowed restaurants To allow some food insideTwo changes, which Mr Cuomo and other officials warned could lead to more casualties.

Rate of new cases completed 1.1 percent or less since late June, Defied expectations and surprised the experts, staying mostly steady even as the country dramatically increased its ability to test up to 100,000 people per day.

But in recent weeks, areas in the Hudson Valley and some neighborhoods in New York City have seen an increase in new cases and hospitalizations. According to state officials.

The statewide rate of positivity began to rise over the weekend, when officials reported rates just above 1%; Hospital admissions have also increased over the past several days, according to state statistics. On Monday, the state said 543 people had been hospitalized as a result of the disease, another slight increase.

While Mr. Cuomo indicated that the rate of positivity reported on Monday is still much lower than that of many states and other countries, he said health officials will focus on increasing testing and compliance with social distancing measures in areas experiencing highs. Ten postcodes make up only 3 percent of the state’s population It accounted for 27 percent Of the new cases reported on Monday.

The governor and public health officials warned that a second wave could erupt months ago, with schools reopening, people returning to workplaces and an increase in metro riders.

In July, the state began requiring travelers from states with increasing cases to quarantine 14 days upon arrival in New York, although enforcement is loosely enforced. On Monday, Mr Cuomo said he would sign a new executive order that would put most travelers from other countries into a 14-day quarantine.