New York: With coronavirus cases continuing to spike statewide, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced new regulations in the state that require restaurants with liquor licenses, bars and gyms to shutter their doors at 10 p.m. while limiting gatherings in private residences to 10 people.
The new restrictions take effect from Friday evening. The previous limit on gatherings at private homes was 50 people.
Among the Covid cases spike across the country, Long Island’s positivity rate, which hovered around 1% for months, was 3.1% Wednesday while the statewide level was 2.95%.
The governor said indoor gatherings, including Halloween parties, have contributed to the increase in virus cases. There is an implicit warning to restrict large gatherings during the Thanksgiving holidays later this month. Connecticut and Massachusetts are among the states with similar restrictive rules in place.
But how officials could enforce the rules on small indoor gatherings in private homes is not unclear.
New York figures show 4,797 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday, including 321 in Suffolk County and 322 in Nassau County. An additional 29 New Yorkers died from COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state total to 26,055.
