Restrictions in nearly all of the state’s micro-cluster focus zones, including the two in Suffolk County, have been lifted, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today. The state lifted restrictions in all orange zones and in all but five yellow zones: two in the Bronx, and one each in Queens, Manhattan and Newburgh.
The governor said the reductions in positivity rates in the micro-cluster zones statewide led to the state’s decision to lift the restrictions.
Yellow zone restrictions included a cap of four persons per table at restaurants, whether service is indoors or outdoors. Non-residential gatherings were limited to 25 people, both indoors and outdoors. Churches and houses of worship were limited to 50% of their rated capacity.
Aiming to contain the virus in small geographic areas, the governor first announced a new micro-cluster strategy in mid-October. The Suffolk County micro-cluster yellow zones were designated on Nov. 25. In early December, the state changed the metrics under which micro-cluster zones are designated, to take hospitalizations and regional hospital capacity into account — in addition to testing positivity rates.
The state is not yet lifting the 10 p.m. curfew on restaurants and bars, the governor said. When you keep restaurants open late, there is more drinking and tends to be more crowding, Cuomo said. A change is not currently being considered, he said.
“It’s a start in the right direction,” said Steve Wirth, owner of Diggers Ales & Eats on West Main Street.
Restaurants have been particularly hard hit by restrictions imposed by the state since March in an effort to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. Most of downtown Riverhead’s central business district was included in the Riverhead yellow zone, which encompassed most of the Riverhead hamlet in the Town of Riverhead and large portions of the hamlets of Riverside, Northampton and Flanders in Southampton Town.
The testing positivity rate in the Riverhead micro-cluster zone had dropped to 7.4% on Tuesday. In Hampton Bays it had fallen to 10.4%.
When the governor announced the two micro-cluster zones in Suffolk, the positivity rate in the Riverhead yellow zone was 4/8% and in Hampton Bays it was 5.3%.
Long Island’s testing positivity rate was 6.8% yesterday, the highest of any region in the state, the governor said.
On Tuesday, Suffolk County’s testing positivity rate was 8.5% and 7.3% on a seven-day rolling average. Suffolk’s seven-day average positivity rate peaked at 10.7% on Jan. 7, as the virus surged during the holiday season.
Editor’s note: This story has been update with additional information.
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