Cuomo: New Yorkers test positive for COVID-19 at record low rate
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo waves a mask to make a point during a news conference in July. Credit: Savannah Morning News via AP/Steve Bisson
A record low rate of New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Sunday.
Of 65,812 people tested on Saturday, 0.78% were positive, he said.
“We had the lowest one day positive rate since we started,” Cuomo said during a teleconference with reporters. “We are normally about 1%, a little below, a little over ... really an incredible achievement by New Yorkers.”
He said the number of intensive care unit patients with COVID-19 is 131, the lowest since the pandemic started.
Cuomo, however, continued his criticism of local governments across the state for not being aggressive enough with enforcing regulations requiring social distancing and wearing face coverings to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“State police and the state Liquor Authority are continuing to try to fill the vacuum left by local enforcement in parts of the state,” he said of the special task force that visited 2,294 bars and restaurants on Friday and Saturday and handed out 60 violations, including three in Nassau County and one in Suffolk County.
The largest number of violations — 26 — were given to establishments in Cuomo’s home borough of Queens, followed by Manhattan with 22.
“Come on, Queens,” an exasperated Cuomo said, adding: “We need the NYPD to step up and help in New York City, and we need local governments across the board to also be doing their job.”
There are 420,860 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state. On Sunday, officials confirmed 27 additional cases in Nassau County, bringing its total to 43,655, and 37 new cases in Suffolk County for a total of 43,786.
Cuomo said there were seven deaths due to COVID-19 in the state yesterday, including one in Nassau County. More than 25,000 people have died from COVID-19 in New York since the pandemic started.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said 27 of 5,314 people tested in the county were positive for COVID-19, a 0.5% rate.
States/regions in red are included on New York's travel advisory list as of Oct. 27, 2020. Guam and Puerto Rico, not pictured, are also on the list.
Curran said it was "one of the lowest we've seen" in a statement released Sunday.
There are 38-COVID-19 patients in Nassau hospitals with 10 in ICU and two on ventilators.
"Unfortunately, for the first time in two weeks, Nassau County lost a resident to the virus," Curran said. "This reminds us that the battle is not yet over and we need to continue our fight by washing our hands, practicing social distancing, and wearing masks."
The low infection rate led to Cuomo's announcement last week that schools in the state can reopen in September — as long as the rate stays below 9% and districts set up meetings with parents and teachers.
"The point I made about the consultation with teachers and parents was not just a helpful hint, that is required," he said, adding "every school district must have at least three online, Zoom, however they want to do it, consultations, discussions with the parents explaining the plans and answering questions."
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Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
