Coronavirus Hotspots Result Of Bad Local Government, Cuomo Says

BROOKLYN, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo held no punches Tuesday in identifying the root of "coronavirus clusters" that have appeared across the state.

"The local governments are supposed to be enforcing the law and they haven’t been, many of them. And then we’re shocked when there’s a cluster? Don’t be shocked," Cuomo said during an update on upticks in Brooklyn, Rockland and Orange counties.

The governor said local governments not enforcing the state's mask mandate and restrictions on gatherings have led to the clusters, which have spiked both the New York City and state infection rate this week.

The clusters include neighborhoods in Brooklyn where the daily infection rate has soared as high as 17 percent on Sunday, more than eight times the city's overall rate for that day.

Cuomo warned that the clusters — which prompted him to send 200 rapid tests to the neighborhoods — could grow exponentially should officials not ramp up enforcement soon.

"A cluster today is community spread tomorrow," he said. "This could be held to clusters if the local governments respond, and respond in a way they haven’t done up until now."

The rapid tests, which have results ready in 15 minutes, have been given to the local governments and private and public schools in the area of the clusters, Cuomo said.

He also said he plans to meet with Orthodox Jewish leaders this week given that many of the areas experiencing upticks are home to Orthodox communities.

"Look at the pictures of religious gatherings with 100s — how did it happen?" Cuomo said.

New York City officials have also ramped up outreach to Orthodox communities, though reports have shown compliance to coronavirus restrictions is still low in the neighborhoods experiencing surges.

They have contended that a 14-day average of infection rates is a more accurate measure of the spikes than Cuomo's 24-hour numbers. The latest two-week averages are:

• Gravesend/Homecrest [11223] (6.72 percent)
• Midwood [11230] (5.53 percent)
• Kew Gardens [11415] (3.61 percent)
• Edgemere/Far Rockaway [11691] (3.98 percent)
• Borough Park [11219] (5.26 percent)
• Bensonhurst/Mapleton [11204] (5.15 percent)
• Gerritsen Beach/Homecrest/Sheepshead Bay [11229] (4.05 percent)
• Flatlands/Midwood [11210] (4.08 percent)
• Kew Gardens Hills/Pomonok [11367] (3.04 percent)

In his own briefing Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday the city will start fining New Yorkers who refused to wear masks after being offered one.

Private schools and day cares in the nine New York City ZIP codes with coronavirus clusters will be issued violations should they be found flouting health department rules, officials said Tuesday, which also happened to be the first day of in-person learning for thousands of New York City public school students.

The health department has threatened an even more stringent lockdown on schools and businesses in the neighborhoods should the upticks not improve, though as of Tuesday they had not yet done so.

Cuomo repeated a threat Tuesday to close New York City schools himself should testing data show they are unsafe.

"This is not time for incompetence, this is no time for apathy, it is not time for indecision," he said. "COVID is real."