Most of New York’s elected officials agree that tightening restrictions on nonessential services will be necessary to battle a resurgence of the coronavirus in our area.

“The statement the governor made yesterday, I think, makes clear we can expect, in a matter of days, new restrictions," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

But while some warned closures are imminent, others said they should be immediate.

“You can’t say we may shut down next week. You know it’s time to begin to do that process right now. And there’s no reason to wait," Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.

 

What You Need To Know

  • Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio say closures of indoor dining, nonessential businesses like gyms could come within days

  • Public Advocate Jumaane Williams says there's no gain in waiting to impose restrictions

  • City Council members Mark Levine and Carlina Rivera, and state legislatiors Gustavo Rivera and Richard Gottfried, earlier called for the entire city to be declared an orange zone

 

Williams condemned leaders who he says delayed closures when the city faced an outbreak in the spring, saying the cost was deadly.

“But even worse, we seem to be getting it wrong again," he said.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has spent the last few days foreshadowing closures that went citywide last spring, saying they could start next week.

New York City’s seven-day COVID-19-positivity rate has been hovering around 5%. On Tuesday, it was 4.94%.

There were 161 new hospitalizations, and there were 2,624 new cases, a calculation that now includes probable COVID-19 infections obtained through rapid antigen tests.

Williams isn’t the only elected official calling for immediate action. Council members Mark Levine and Carlina Rivera, and state legislators Gustavo Rivera and Richard Gottfried, have called for the immediate designation of a citywide orange zone halting nonessential services.

Meanwhile, the city and state have been revising which restrictions are associated with which thresholds.

De Blasio said, for now, a 9% positivity rate still means widespread closures.

“The goal here, of course, is never to get to that number and to use all the tools possible to protect people and make sure that we fight back the virus," he said.