NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Parts of Brooklyn and Queens are going back into lockdown starting Thursday as the city battles an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
The restrictions imposed by the state vary depending on whether a neighborhood is designated a red, orange or yellow zone.
The mayor said the city is acting quickly to implement the new rules in the color-coded cluster areas.
"We need to stop this outbreak dead in its tracks for the good of all of New York City," de Blasio said.
In red zones, where the number of virus cases are skyrocketing, schools are already closed, and as of Thursday non-essential businesses in those areas will also be shut down. Mass gatherings will be prohibited, restaurants will revert to a take-out only model, and houses of worship will be allowed 25% occupancy or a maximum of 10 people inside.
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The mayor also detailed the rules for orange zones, which encompass a five-block radius around the red zones.
"As of Thursday morning schools in the organge zone will be closed as well,"de Blasio said. "In addition high risk businesses including gyms will be closed. Gatherings in the orange zone must be 10 people or less, whether they're indoor or outdoor, restaurants will be for outdoor dining only, houses of worship will be allowed to be at 33% capacity with a maximum of 25 people inside."
As for the yellow zones, de Blasio said public and private schools will remain open but teachers and students will be subject to mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing. All businesses will also remain open, indoor and outdoor gatherings must be limited to 25 people and restaurants can continue indoor and outdoor dining with a maximum of four people to a table.
The rollbacks will last for a minimum of 14 days, at which point the situation will be reevaluated.
“The next few weeks are going to be critical,” de Blasio said. “The faster we address it all together, the faster we can stop this problem and get back on the right track.”
Fines for a mass gathering could be as high as $15,000 and it could cost violators up to $1,000 for not wearing a mask or practicing social distancing.
“The state has laid down very clear rules. Everyone must follow those rules. The NYPD will be enforcing those rules,” de Blasio said.
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the restrictions are in place due to non-compliance in hot spot areas.
"That's why the infection spread because they weren't following the rules and the rules weren't being enforced. The rules weren't being enforced because the communities didn't want to follow them. I understand that, but that's why we are where we are. Make no mistake," Cuomo said. "Local governments have to do the enforcement. I threatened to fine local governments for not doing enforcement. They have to be enforced. This is the consequence of non-enforcement is increased infection."
The governor noted that the recent uptick in hospitalizations over the past several weeks is driven primarily from the same hotspot ZIP codes in counties where we are seeing increases in cases.
"For the top 20 ZIPs in the four counties we are primarily seeing the most serious cluster outbreaks - Brooklyn, Queens, Orange and Rockland Counties - these ZIPs represent just 6.7 percent of the state's population - yet 20 percent of all new hospital admissions over past two weeks are from these ZIPs," the governor said in a press release.