NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New York will see a "tremendous spike" in COVID-19 cases after Thanksgiving, as the state's numbers are already steadily increasing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo predicted Wednesday.
At a news briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Cuomo offered his "personal" take on the state's post-holiday COVID-19 status.
"Thanksgiving is coming up. Here's my next personal opinion in theory. You will see a tremendous spike after Thanksgiving," he said. "Why? Because Thanksgiving is a holiday, and people come together."
"And if you don't have a real fear about COVID, you're going to come together," he added.
Cuomo on Wednesday also announced that parts of the Bronx and a new swath of Queens, including Astoria, would become precautionary "yellow zones" amid COVID-19 upticks. Brooklyn's "orange zone," meanwhile, will be downgraded to a "yellow zone."
All of New York City could become an "orange zone" if its infection rate hits 3 percent, he noted.
Schools in the five boroughs, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday afternoon, will already be closing and shifting to remote learning on Thursday.
If the the state designates the entire city an "orange zone," indoor dining will be banned; outdoor dining will be limited to four people per table; high-risk, non-essential businesses including gyms will close; gatherings will be capped at 10 people; and worship services will be capped at 33 percent, or 25 people maximum.
New York City reported a 2.9 percent infection rate on Tuesday, with a seven-day rolling average of 2.5 percent, Cuomo noted.
Of the 154,434 COVID-19 test results that came back in New York state on Tuesday, 5,294, or 3.43 percent, were positive, the governor said.
Excluding its COVID-19 microclusters, the state reported a 3.10 percent infection rate, he said. The microclusters reported a 4.73 percent positivity rate.
As of Tuesday, 2,202 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19, 423 of whom were in intensive care and 192 of whom were on ventilators, he said.
New York state also reported 35 new COVID-19-related deaths on Wednesday, Cuomo said.
