Bill de Blasio says lockdown restrictions are 'on table' as the NYC infection rate jumps to 2.34%

Bill de Blasio warned Tuesday that new lockdown restrictions are back on the table in light of New York City’s rising COVID-19 figures, which he called ‘very worrisome’ and a ‘warning sign if I’ve ever seen one.’

Mayor de Blasio said during his daily coronavirus press briefing earlier today that the city will ‘have to do something quickly’ to prevent a second wave in the coming weeks.

Officials in Philadelphia issued a similar forewarning and urged the thousands of residents who took to the streets to celebrate Joe Biden’s election victory over the weekend to get tested as case counts in Pennsylvania reach early pandemic levels.

On Monday, NYC’s daily positive test rate for the coronavirus was 2.88 percent – the highest single-day figure since at least early August, according to statistics posted on the city’s website.

De Blasio added that the city’s seven-day rolling average of new cases has now hit 2.34 percent, with NYC recording an average of 795 cases of COVID-19 daily, up by more than 100 from the previous week. It’s unclear how many people were tested in total.

‘Obviously if that goes to 3 percent, schools would go all remote for a period of time,’ de Blasio said of the rolling seven-day average. 

‘I think there would be real concern about whether you can have businesses open on the same scale they are open now,’ he continued. ‘You could see restrictions in certain industries. You could see full scale closure. You could see a limit on hours. All these things are possible.’ 

Any further restrictions or shutdowns would first need the authorization of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

New York City has been under one of the strictest coronavirus lockdowns in the country since the pandemic began. It’s also been one of the slowest cities to resume indoor dining, with a low capacity allowance of just 25 percent. 

Bill de Blasio warned Tuesday that New York City¿s latest COVID-19 figures are ¿very worrisome¿ and a ¿warning sign if I¿ve ever seen one¿ amid an concerning uptick in positive cases in the Big Apple

Bill de Blasio warned Tuesday that New York City’s latest COVID-19 figures are ‘very worrisome’ and a ‘warning sign if I’ve ever seen one’ amid an concerning uptick in positive cases in the Big Apple

On Monday, NYC¿s positive test rate for the coronavirus was 2.88 percent ¿ the highest single-day figure since at least early August, according to statistics posted on the city¿s website

On Monday, NYC’s positive test rate for the coronavirus was 2.88 percent – the highest single-day figure since at least early August, according to statistics posted on the city’s website

The mayor¿s warnings come as NYC is expected to see a spike in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks following massive street parties on Saturday after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election (shown above)

The mayor’s warnings come as NYC is expected to see a spike in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks following massive street parties on Saturday after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election (shown above)

De Blasio added that the city¿s seven-day rolling average of new cases has now hit 2.34 percent, with NYC recording an average of 795 cases of COVID-19 daily

De Blasio added that the city’s seven-day rolling average of new cases has now hit 2.34 percent, with NYC recording an average of 795 cases of COVID-19 daily

De Blasio added Tuesday that 92 coronavirus patients were hospitalized on Sunday. The city’s daily threshold regarding potential restrictions on residents is currently set at 200 people a day.

While hospitals in the city has so far been able to manage the rising number of new patients, de Blasio said the rise in cases could eventually put a strain on health care, mirroring the troubles facing numerous other cities nationwide.

‘And of course the most horrible dilemma, the most horrible consequence: starting to lose lives on a large scale, particularly our elders,’ de Blasio said. ‘This is our last chance to stop a second wave. If we aren’t able to stop it, there will clearly be lots of consequences that will remind us to much of where we were before.’

Despite the city’s contract tracing efforts, officials say its currently unclear where the new infections are coming from. 

Senior adviser for public health, Dr. Jay Varma, said Tuesday that around five percent of cases have been associated with gatherings and another five percent with ‘congregated settings’, such as nursing homes.

Varma added that around 10 percent of cases are associated with travel. The city has, however, been unable to determine the source of more than 50 percent of new infections – a number that Varma said is steadily increasing over time.

‘That is one of the major warning signs that we have been tracking and been concerned about,’ Varma said. 

While hospitals in the city has so far been able to manage the rising number of new patients, de Blasio said the rise in cases could put a strain on health care, mirroring the troubles facing numerous other cities nationwide (a graph showing NYC's confirmed deaths since mid-August is shown above)

While hospitals in the city has so far been able to manage the rising number of new patients, de Blasio said the rise in cases could put a strain on health care, mirroring the troubles facing numerous other cities nationwide (a graph showing NYC’s confirmed deaths since mid-August is shown above)

De Blasio made issued similar warnings during his Monday press conference, in which he insisted once again that the city has ‘one last chance to stop a second wave’. 

He urged residents to limit festivities and travel arrangements as the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaches.

He also called for New York City’s indoor dining policy to be ‘reevaluated’, just six weeks after restaurants were permitted to reopen at 25 percent capacity.

‘What I said is that at the two percent threshold, [indoor dining] should be reevaluated,’ the mayor said. ‘And I think it should be reevaluated now. I think it makes sense to take another look given what’s happening.’

The mayor did not specifically attribute the rise in positive case counts to indoor dining, but he did indicate that people engaging in indoor activities without wearing masks is contributing to the spread.

‘The key problem here is indoors and not wearing masks,’ de Blasio insisted. 

As of Tuesday, New York City – once the US epicenter of the virus – has reported 277,000 cases of coronavirus and 24,085 deaths.  

The mayor’s warnings come as NYC is expected to see a spike in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks following massive street parties that saw thousands gather city-wide on Saturday after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election.

De Blasio landed in hot water after he joined the celebrations, which saw most people wearing masks but few adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Similar scenes were also witnessed in Philadelphia, where thousands took to the streets to shortly after Biden secured victory over Trump in Pennsylvania, which decided the race

Similar scenes were also witnessed in Philadelphia, where thousands took to the streets to shortly after Biden secured victory over Trump in Pennsylvania, which decided the race

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley has now recommended that anyone who took part in the crowds get tested after a week has passed

Similar scenes were also witnessed in Philadelphia, where thousands took to the streets to shortly after Biden secured victory over Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday morning, deciding the 2020 race.

People also gathered at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for post-election demonstrations Sunday, as reported by WPVI.

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley has now recommended that anyone who took part in the crowds get tested after a week has passed.

‘The recommendation we are making now is that if people are close to other people outside they should be tested seven days later to make sure they haven’t picked up the virus,’ Farley said. ‘And in the meantime, they should be staying away from other people.’

More than 3,400 new COVID-19 cases were reported Monday in Pennsylvania, bringing the statewide total up to more than 240,000 cases.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine warned that the state is now witnessing ‘the highest case counts of the COVID-19 pandemic that we have seen since the beginning.’

Farley added: ‘This is a virus that hunts humans. It’s still out there hunting. It’s hunting more aggressively now than it has been in months.’

He also said virus were spiking in the city of Philadelphia as well.

‘We had several days where we had more than 600 cases per day. Just a few weeks ago we were about 70 cases a day, so this is a very rapid rise,’ he said.

Farley warned that ‘everything is on the table right now’, including a complete lockdown, to combat the spread.

source: dailymail.co.uk