Governor Cuomo Announces Orange County Micro-Cluster Focus Area Meets Metrics to Exit "Red Zone"

 

Orange County Red Zone Moves to Orange Zone; Yellow Zone Does Not Change 

No Changes to Other Zones 

Counties Will Now Be Allowed to Require Mask Mandates at All Times in Schools

Positive Testing Rate in All Focus Zone Areas is 3.8 Percent; New York State Positivity Outside All Focus Zone Areas is 1.3 Percent      

Statewide Positivity Rate is 1.5 Percent 

15 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday  

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the "Red Zone" micro-cluster focus area in Orange County has met the metrics required to shift to an "Orange Warning Zone." Orange County's micro-cluster zone positivity rate has gone from 12 percent to 2 percent in three weeks and the rate of new daily hospital admissions has flattened.

The governor also announced that counties, via their local departments of health, will now be allowed to require that mask mandates be extended at all times in both public and private schools under their jurisdictions.

"In terms of adjustments of the micro-clusters, Orange County has made very good progress," Governor Cuomo said. "In Orange County we're going to change the red zone to an orange zone. In Orange County, the red zone was at 12 percent three weeks ago. It's now 2 percent, so that's obviously dramatic progress. And the hospitalization number is flat. The red zone will go to orange and the yellow zone will stay yellow. There has been progress in other areas in micro-clusters, but nothing at this point that would cause us to change any classifications this week. We'll watch it over the next week for possible alterations. Nationwide, our positivity rate is now the second lowest in the United States of America. We've actually made progress nationwide. We are 1.3 percent and in the Johns Hopkins nationwide state survey we are number 2 from the bottom, second lowest rate in the nation. God bless New Yorkers. But let's stay vigilant because as we are seeing with the surges around the country, this thing is not over."

Modifications to Current Cluster Zones 

The Governor noted the continued progress in micro-cluster focus areas, and that based on the State Department of Health metrics, the "Red Zone" focus area in Orange County is now eligible to become an "Orange Zone" based on testing positivity rates and flattening of the rate of daily hospital admissions. The Rockland County "Red Zone" focus area and Brooklyn "Red Zone" focus area have also shown great progress, however they have not yet met the metrics to transition to a new zone.

The Governor noted that the positive testing rate in all focus areas under the state's Micro-Cluster strategy is 3.8 percent, and outside the focus zone areas is 1.3 percent. A total of 129,660 test results were reported to New York State with 2,031 positives for an overall positivity rate of 1.5 percent. 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:  

• Patient Hospitalization - 1,085 (+2) 
• Patients Newly Admitted - 153  
• Hospital Counties - 44 
• Number ICU - 236 (+3) 
• Number ICU with Intubation - 120 (+0) 
• Total Discharges - 79,366 (+136) 
• Deaths - 15 
• Total Deaths - 25,773