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Cuomo said that with infection and hospital rates on the decline, he and the Department of Health are looking to “loosen the valve” on certain aspects of the economy to jumpstart New York’s reopening.
“We said that we hoped the spike would end after Jan. 1 when people stopped socializing as much … We talked about (that happening) in mid and late January, and that’s right where we are,” Cuomo said. “We’re seeing the spike come down, so now we can start making adjustments.”
Cuomo didn’t provide any specific details about what changes were being made, only that the Department of Health was evaluating the state’s COVID-19 “micro-clusters,” with more information expected at his scheduled COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday, Jan. 27.
“We’re in a new place now, so we can start to adjust the valve and start to open up more economic activity and reduce some of the restrictions and the “micro-cluster” zones,” he said. “The Department of Health is going through that right now, but you can’t get cocky with COVID.”
Downstate, there are currently “yellow zones” in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Nassau, Suffolk, Orange, and Westchester counties. There are also “orange zones” on Staten Island and Peekskill.
Cuomo cautioned that even as the state is seeing improved COVID-19 numbers and some restrictions are being lifted, it’s important that New Yorkers not ease up on what has been working since the holidays.
“I know it’s been a long time, and the numbers look good today … but we’ve been down this road before, and this road has curves and potholes,” he said. “This beast changes on us all the time, and you can watch TV news all day long and still not really know what’s going on.
“This virus has been ahead of us every step of the way,” Cuomo added. “We know there are certain things we have to do, and this is a constantly changing situation so let’s be ready.”
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