Coronavirus Zones Lift Across State But Remain In NYC

NEW YORK CITY — Color-coded coronavirus “zones” will disappear across the state — but not in New York City — after a steady drop in coronavirus cases from a post-holiday spike, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

Yellow zones and their associated restrictions — testing requirements for schools and capacity limits on gatherings and houses of worship — remain in Washington Heights and parts of Queens and the Bronx, Cuomo said Wednesday.

Staten Island will have all zones and restrictions lifted, he said.

“There are no orange zones remaining,” he said.

The eased restrictions reflect the state’s greatly-improved coronavirus numbers since a dramatic surge starting from Thanksgiving and extending through the holiday season.

Cuomo said statewide positivity during that time rose from 2.9 percent 12 percent, with worrying growth in hospitalizations. He said those numbers dipped enough in most places across the state to lift zones.

But the numbers in New York City — particularly the Bronx where the state measured positivity at 6.98 percent — warranted leaving some zones, Cuomo said.

He also said a complete ban on indoor dining in New York City will remain for the time being, but officials will release a reopening plan later this week.