NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday announced local governments across New York State could lose millions in funding if they fail to enforce closures and social distancing in COVID hot spots.
The governor threatened to pull all state funding from areas designated as “red zones” if they do not effectively enforce his executive order, including New York City, which has one of the largest clusters in Brooklyn.
The funding cuts will also apply to Orange County, Rockland County, the Town of Ramapo and the Village of Spring Valley, Cuomo said.
The state will begin sending notices warning that these governments must enforce public health laws or face funding cuts. Schools that are violating guidelines will also receive letters, informing them that they will not receive state funding if they remain open in red or orange zones.
“We know there were violations where yeshivas were operating, we know there were violations where religious gatherings were happening that exceeded the guidelines,” Cuomo said.
The governor notes that the only way to ensure that the coronavirus stops spreading is by enforcing the rules.
Cuomo warned Orthodox Jewish communities that have defied the rules, despite calls from his administration, to stop jeopardizing their own health.
“This is no longer a question of public education. It is enforcement,” Cuomo said of the coronavirus clusters. “I've made it very clear to members of this community what the rules are, what the science is.”
The governor said the state has the authority to “impound all funds to a locality” but did not say how much the governments would be penalized.
“It will be to our discretion,” the governor said.
The news came as the COVID-19 positivity rate in New York state’s red zone hit 6.2%, far exceeding the statewide positivity rate of just 0.95% – when factoring out the red zones.
The state reported 1,391 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 481,436, according to the New York Times tracker.
The governor speculates that New York State may be dealing with clusters of coronavirus cases for years, as some residents will likely refuse to get vaccinated when the drug is made available.