NEW YORK (WBEN) -- Small gatherings in homes are driving New York's spike in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday, as the state released a new public service announcement encouraging residents to "stop living room spread."
At a news briefing Wednesday morning, Cuomo said contact tracers have linked more than 70 percent of the state's new COVID-19 cases to viral spread within households and at small get-togethers.
To combat the surge, the state is circulating a PSA warning New Yorkers not to let their guard down around friends and relatives, he said.
"It's not just mass gatherings causing the spread anymore. The virus is now literally spreading in households," the governor said in a statement accompanying the new video. "When you eliminate other options for socialization, people will shift their behavior and begin joining together in their homes."
"I know you may think, 'I'm in my house with my family and with my friends, so this is my safe zone,' but that just is simply not the case anymore," he added. "As we move forward into the winter, addressing living room spread will be one of the biggest challenges in the fight against COVID-19, and we can do it, but only if New Yorkers stay smart."
Cuomo on Wednesday also announced that New York could expect to receive its first COVID-19 vaccine shipment on Dec. 15.
