Mass religious gatherings may be responsible for a recent rise in newly reported positive COVID-19 cases in certain parts of New York State.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that while the state has remained at or around a 1 percent infection rate for months, the 20 zip codes where there have been the newest outbreaks are closer to 5 percent.
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Specifically, Cuomo mentioned Rockland, Orange, Nassau, Queens, Brooklyn, and New York counties as areas they’re going to keep an eye on in the coming days with targeted enforcement.
“Now that we have this information, we’re going to aggressively target these clusters,” he said. “These are embers that are starting to catch fire in dry grass, so we’re going to send all the fire fighting equipment and personnel to those embers to stamp them out right away.”
Cuomo cited recent religious gatherings as a possible cause of the spread after photos circulated of hundreds congregating without socially distancing themselves or wearing face coverings.
“When you look at these clusters and zip codes, you see an overlap of large Orthodox Jewish communities,” Cuomo noted. “This is a concern for their community and all the communities surrounding them.
http://dailyvoice.com/new-york/eastchester/news/covid-19-cuomo-to-meet-with-ny-orthodox-jewish-community-following-flare-up-in-cases/795170/
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