BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that parts of Erie County will go into a yellow zone under the micro-cluster strategy.
The yellow zone means that there is a 25 person maximum capacity for mass gatherings. It also means schools will receive 20 percent testing. Restaurants will be required to close at midnight and only have a maximum of four people per table.
Businesses will be allowed to stay open under the yellow zone. Houses of worship will only be allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity.
The governor's announcement on Monday came after the Western New York region saw a significant spike in coronavirus in recent days.
According to the latest state data, 343 people tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday. More than 200 people have tested positive for the virus each day since November 2.
The seven-day rolling average for positive tests in Western New York is 3.6 percent. That figure is the highest in New York State.
118 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in the region.
"We have definitely entered a new phase with COVID," Governor Cuomo said. "The fall season has brought the expected increase in COVID that all the scientists predicted."
This is a developing story
