6 In Orange County Die Of COVID-19 In Past Two Weeks

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — Orange County's red and yellow zones remain in effect, as the coronavirus outbreak continues.

According to the county's coronavirus dashboard, there were 29 people hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and another 16 in hospital suspected of having the disease as of Monday.

Six people died of COVID-19 in Orange County in the previous two weeks.

There were 419 active cases, County Executive Steve Neuhaus said in his Monday Facebook update. Neuhaus said he is watching nursing homes and businesses in particular.

"A lot of places are getting warnings. The warnings are not because the establishment is failing at its job but because the patrons are," he said, asking people to leave when they're finished shopping or eating instead of congregating to talk.

The test-positivity rate in Orange County's coronavirus micro-cluster has continued to drop, according to state figures from Monday.

"I am still optimistic," Neuhaus said.

Meanwhile, California has been added to New York State's COVID-19 travel advisory.

Neighboring state Massachusetts now meets the criteria for the travel advisory, in addition to Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania - however, given the interconnected nature of the region and mode of transport between the states, a quarantine on these states is not practically viable. That said, New York State highly discourages, to the extent practical, non-essential travel between Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania while they meet the travel advisory criteria.

"Now, 45 states and territories meet the requirements for our travel advisory," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement updating the travel advisory. "We cannot let our guard down and risk going backwards in New York. It's going to take the work of all of us to remain vigilant. Stay NY Smart - wear a mask, socially distance and follow the public health guidance. It's there to save lives."