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Cuomo to declare more COVID-19 hot spots   

Governor Cuomo's office

While the outcome of the presidential election has been the focus this week, the coronavirus pandemic has not taken a break.

It’s on the rise in New York, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he’s considering placing new restrictions on portions of western and central New York, and the Rochester region, and has declared a town along the Connecticut border as a hot spot.

Cuomo said the rate of the virus is climbing in the Buffalo area, where it has risen to 3.1% in Erie County, including the city of Buffalo, and suburbs of Tonawanda, Hamburg, and Orchard Park.  

Monroe County is also seeing a spike, to 2.6%, with Rochester and its suburbs of Pittsford, Penfield and Webster showing the highest numbers.

And in central New York, the rate has risen to 2.2%. Syracuse and its suburbs of Cicero have seen case numbers double in recent days.

Another region of concern is Portchester, in Westchester County along the Connecticut border, a state where the virus is rising. Portchester will be designated a yellow zone microcluster area, and rapid testing will be made available.

Cuomo said he’ll be talking to local officials in the other regions over the weekend to discuss also declaring those areas as microcluster hot spots. That would mean new restrictions, including closing down schools and businesses. And he said he’s dropped consideration of allowing fans back in to Buffalo Bills football games.

“It would be reckless, from a public health point of view, to open the stadium to spectators at this time,” said Cuomo. “Which I find disappointing on a personal level. But this is a public health issue first, and as I’ve said, I follow the advice of the public health experts.”

Cuomo said despite the numerous spikes, New York’s rate of COVID-19 is lower than almost any other state. Only Vermont and Maine are doing better.

Some former hot spots in Queens, in the Far Rockaways, and in Brooklyn will see their microcluster designations reduced or eliminated. Microclusters in Rockland and Orange counties are also being upgraded from red to orange and yellow zones.

And Cuomo said the virus rate in the Southern Tier, where it spiked earlier this fall, is going down.

The governor said he remains worried about the spread of the disease over the upcoming holiday season, and will step up National Guard presence at New York’s airports for Thanksgiving. Under rules revised in October, travelers from noncontiguous states must present evidence of a negative test before they are admitted to New York. Once in the state, they have to quarantine for at least three days while they get another COVID-19 test.

“You should not land if you do not have proof of a negative test upon landing,” Cuomo said.

The governor said SUNY students, who will be sent home at Thanksgiving break, will not be returning until at least February, and all remaining classes this semester will be conducted remotely.  

“And then we’ll figure out in February what we do,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo said he’d like private colleges to adopt similar policies, many already have done so.

Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau chief for the New York Public News Network, composed of a dozen newsrooms across the state. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.