Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Governor Cuomo issues a caution flag to WNY.
"The number of positive tests is somewhat escalated. Not a cause for serious concern, but a caution flag for Western New York, and we're looking at it," says Cuomo. "There was a steel plant in Erie County, a food processing factory, two nursing homes, people coming in for hospital procedures who tested positive, seasonal labor forces who work at farms."
Cuomo says the state is trying to understand what is happening.
Higher-risk sports, including those with full physical contact, may begin to practice on September 21st but cannot play until a later date or December 31st. In accordance with the Department of Health's guidance for sports and recreation during the COVID-19 public health emergency, practices for higher-risk sports are limited to individual or group, no- to low-contact training. Higher-risk sports include football, wrestling, rugby, hockey and volleyball.
"The State has done a lot of research on how we can safely have our students participate in school sports and get the exercise they need, and the guidance we developed will allow lower-risk sports to begin practicing and playing next month," says Cuomo. "We are approaching youth sports as we have approached everything else in our phased reopening - teams are not allowed to compete outside a school's region or contiguous region for the time being until we can gauge the effects."
Schools must follow the Department's guidance for the conduct of their school sports. Schools will have to limit capacity of indoor facilities to no more than 50 percent occupancy and limit spectators to no more than two spectators per player, in addition to implementing social distancing and face coverings.