From NYTimes article in today's online edition:
ALBANY, N.Y. — Michigan shut down indoor dining and in-person classes at high schools and colleges. Washington banned indoor gatherings with anyone outside your household without a weeklong quarantine. And officials in Oregon closed offices to the public and are limiting the number of people in grocery stores.
As record numbers of virus cases emerge across the United States, major cities and states are implementing tough new restrictions. But in New York State, once the epicenter of the pandemic, the response to a second wave has been far more measured, with officials banking on a variety of less disruptive, targeted actions, often reliant on voluntary compliance.
Ominous signs are everywhere: In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio closed in-person classes at the city’s schools starting Thursday when the seven-day positivity rate rose above 3 percent on Wednesday. Thousands of new cases are emerging every day statewide, and hospitalizations have more than quintupled since early September, topping 2,200 on Wednesday. Deaths have also been trending upward, with the state reporting nearly 200 deaths in the last week, and 35 just on Wednesday, the highest one-day total since mid-June.
The numbers are also spiking in some areas that were spared the worst in the spring: Western New York has seen about 3,700 new cases in the last week alone, with rates of positive test results running above 5 percent.
ImageTourism is down in New York City, but officials fear that the holidays could spark a resurgence in the virus, as many people return to or visit the city.
Tourism is down in New York City, but officials fear that the holidays could spark a resurgence in the virus, as many people return to or visit the city.Credit...Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
All told, 12 counties around the state are seeing significant outbreaks, from Brooklyn to Buffalo.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo says his response to the pandemic continues to be aggressive and highlights his state’s achievements: New York is still seeing much lower rates of infection than most states. And the number of daily deaths and hospitalizations pales in comparison to the spring, when thousands died for several weeks running, and tens of thousands were sickened.
Still, some public health experts and officials worry that without a broader shutdown, the state might not be able to limit the virus’s spread, particularly as residents tire of restrictions and the holidays near.
“The odds are against us at this stage in terms of keeping it under control,” said Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, a former New York City deputy health commissioner.
On Wednesday, during an unusually combative news conference with reporters in Albany, Mr. Cuomo displayed a slide that ranked New York among the states with the lowest positivity rates in the country.
“The whole world is going up,” Mr. Cuomo said, adding, “Every state is the nation is going up, right? So success becomes what? How you’re doing relative to everybody else.”
But when asked if the rising rates meant his current targeted approach was falling short, Mr. Cuomo took offense and, raising his voice, chided the reporter: “New Yorkers are doing a great job, and don’t demean them.”
The defensive posture from Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, is striking considering the confident air he’s projected since the early days of the pandemic.
For three months, the governor held daily news conferences, providing hard data and reassurance to the country, even as thousands died in New York. He closed schools and nonessential businesses, required masks and social distancing and ramped up testing and contact tracing.
The measures made New York’s approach a model for flattening the curve, but it also had a devastating effect on the economy: More than one million New Yorkers lost their jobs, and the city and state were saddled with multibillion-dollar budget deficits.
Now, as the virus has shown clear signs of a resurgence, Mayor de Blasio has closed school buildings and voiced concern about indoor dining, which resumed in limited fashion in the city at the end of September. But Mr. Cuomo, who has ultimate authority over closing restaurants and schools statewide, has not pushed for either.