NYC Faces ‘Decisive’ Week In Coronavirus Battle, De Blasio Says

NEW YORK CITY — Coronavirus cases in local Brooklyn and Queens hotspots showed some early signs of leveling off as they entered their fifth day of shutdowns, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.

New Yorkers could know by the end of this week whether restrictions will continue past their 14-day minimum, de Blasio said.

But de Blasio also stressed the fight isn’t over. Community members will have to follow restrictions, city officials will continue strict enforcement and everyone will have to get tested, he said.

“This is a decisive week in our battle against the coronavirus,” he said.

Three areas in New York City — two in Queens and one in Brooklyn — fall under color-coded coronavirus zones of varying restrictions designed to stop rising infection rates in local hotspots.

The restrictions began Oct. 8 following a somewhat-confused rollout by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who instituted the geographically-fluid “zones” over the city’s proposed ZIP code closures.

Schools and non-essential businesses are closed in red zones centered around coronavirus case clusters, followed by tiers of less-restrictive measures in orange and yellow zones.

De Blasio said coronavirus indicators show infection rates going down citywide — as of Tuesday the positive test rate stood at 1.9 percent — and in various local hotspots, but he didn’t provide specifics.

One specific de Blasio did highlight, however, came from schools, where officials began random monthly coronavirus tests. There was just one positive case out of 1,751 students and staff tested in 56 schools, he said.

“We’re seeing very encouraging results,” he said.

The earliest the localized lockdowns can end is Oct. 22. De Blasio said local residents and small businesses could soon know when the likely end date will be, provided they keep getting tested and wear masks.

“I think by the end of the week we’re going to have a very good idea what’s going on,” he said.