Cuomo Warns Drastic Measures May Come as Infection Rate Soars in 10 New York ZIP Codes
Alarmed by soaring infection rates in nearly a dozen New York ZIP codes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo felt compelled to hold a second conference call in two hours Monday to discuss the clusters and warned drastic measures may come next.
Of 1,769 ZIP codes in the state, Cuomo said 10 are averaging an infection rate of about 15 percent compared with the overall statewide infection rate of 1.5 percent as of Monday. Those 10 ZIP codes account for 25 percent of the state's new daily cases despite representing just 2.9 percent of the state's population.
Cuomo stressed the state would immediately launch targeted outreach to those communities, as he did in his first call earlier Monday, and said his administration would make 200 rapid testing machines immediately available. He also called on local governments in the affected areas to reach out to the state for assistance.
Without improvement, he warned more "drastic alternatives" may be required to curb the spread, echoing recent warnings from New York City officials.
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