‘More Progress’ Needed In NYC Coronavirus Zones, De Blasio Says

NEW YORK CITY — Red and orange zones in Brooklyn and Queens need to show “more progress” on coronavirus levels before restrictions lift, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.

De Blasio said COVID-19 cases in cluster areas continue to either level off or — in the case of central Queens — are getting “substantially better.” But he said it could take another week or two before restrictions lift.

Residents within those zones need to continue to comply with safety measures and get coronavirus tests, he said.

“Everyone in those red and orange zones, continue to dig deeper,” he said.

De Blasio didn’t provide exact figures from the areas but publicly-available, albeit week-old data indicates 11 out of 21 ZIP codes covered by the zones still have rising coronavirus rates.

Bloomberg reporter Henry Goldman pressed de Blasio for more recent and detailed data by ZIP code, but Hizzoner demurred. He argued it could create “confusion” given that the state set a different zone standard.