Brooklyn 'Red Zone' Shrinks, Queens Restrictions Lifted: Cuomo

Updated Friday at 4:08 p.m. with Brooklyn coronavirus “red zone” map.

NEW YORK CITY — A steady dip in once-concerning coronavirus case levels in Brooklyn and Queens prompted Gov. Andrew Cuomo to lift restrictions for some neighborhoods.

Cuomo on Friday said a "red zone" covering much of southern Brooklyn will be reduced by 50 percent, along with its enveloping "yellow zone." State officials released a redrawn map later Friday, giving residents a chance to see if non-essential business and schools can reopen in their areas.

Another so-called COVID-19 "micro cluster" — a yellow zone in Far Rockaway — will also be completed changed.

"That micro cluster is going to be extinguished as of today,” Cuomo said.

The lifted restrictions come amid record-breaking coronavirus cases across the country — as well as troubling upticks elsewhere in New York.

Cuomo said a "new reality" of coronavirus is hitting the state and nation as predicted for the fall. But he said the statewide coronavirus positivity rate of 1.9 percent is a good standing, given the circumstances.

"Relative to the nation we’re doing extraordinarily well,” he said.

The state will continue its strategy of targeting localized coronavirus hotspots, Cuomo said. He said a "yellow zone" in Kew Gardens will remain intact for now.

New Yorkers can find out more information on the zones, plus restrictions, here.