This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/nyregion/nyc-coronavirus-uptick.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
N.Y.C. Reports Large Uptick in Virus Cases N.Y.C. Reports Large Uptick in Virus Cases
(about 4 hours later)
New York City officials announced on Tuesday a significant uptick in the citywide daily rate of positive virus tests, which was in part attributable to a rise in cases in nine ZIP codes in Brooklyn and Queens — some in predominantly Orthodox Jewish communities. New York City officials announced on Tuesday a significant uptick in the citywide daily rate of positive virus tests, which was in part attributable to a rise in cases in nine ZIP codes in Brooklyn and Queens — some in predominantly Orthodox Jewish communities that have largely ignored public health guidance, like wearing masks.
In a news conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a daily rate of 3.25 percent, the highest daily rate since June. On Monday, the daily rate was 1.93 percent. In a news conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a daily rate of 3.25 percent, the highest daily rate since June. On Monday, the daily rate was 1.93 percent and for weeks it had generally held between 1 and 2 percent on most days.
“That is cause for real concern,” the mayor said. “That is cause for real concern,” the mayor said of the higher rate.
The uptick comes at a particularly crucial moment, as the city tries to fully reopen schools and introduce indoor dining this week.The uptick comes at a particularly crucial moment, as the city tries to fully reopen schools and introduce indoor dining this week.
Over the past two weeks, the cases in the nine ZIP codes account for 25 percent of the city’s virus cases, despite the fact that the population in those areas make up only 7 percent of the city’s population, according to Dr. Dave Chokshi, the city’s health commissioner. As part of new enforcement measures in those areas, the city will move to fine anybody who refuses to wear a mask, said Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat. Members of the city’s test and trace program, the Sheriff’s Office and the New York Police Department, among others, will help with enforcement, he said.
Many of the new cases in recent weeks — at least 1,600 — have taken place in what city officials are calling the “Ocean Parkway cluster,” named after the boulevard that runs from the bottom of Prospect Park south to the ocean. “Every agency, literally, that has personnel to offer will be a part of this,” the mayor said.
The cluster was detected last month as case rates rose in Borough Park, a predominately Orthodox Jewish neighborhood where mask-wearing has been a rarity. In interviews last week, several Hasidic men who live in Borough Park said that many members of their community thought the neighborhood had a degree of herd immunity because of how hard-hit it was in March and April. Nonpublic schools and child care centers will also be forced to close if they do not adhere to safety measures, the mayor said.
“There is still no evidence of herd immunity in any community,” Dr. Chokshi said on Tuesday. Over the past two weeks, the cases in the nine ZIP codes accounted for 25.6 percent of the city’s new virus cases, although the population in those areas make up only 7.4 percent of the city’s population, according to information provided by the city’s Health Department.
City officials said they believed that mask-wearing had become more common in and around Borough Park after renewed efforts in recent days by public health officials to secure cooperation from community leaders. Many of the new cases in recent weeks — at least 1,600 — are being grouped together by city officials who refer to them as the “Ocean Parkway cluster,” named after the boulevard that runs from the bottom of Prospect Park South to the ocean.
In several ZIP codes in this area and in Queens, the positivity rate in the last several days has ranged from 3 to 7 percent.
The cluster was detected last month as case rates rose in Borough Park, a predominately Orthodox Jewish neighborhood where mask-wearing has been a rarity. In interviews last week, several Hasidic men who live in Borough Park said that many in their community thought the neighborhood had a degree of herd immunity because of how hard-hit it had been in March and April.
But “there is still no evidence of herd immunity in any community,” Dr. Dave A. Chokshi, the city’s health commissioner, said on Tuesday.
The initial uptick in Borough Park last month was soon followed by increases in several nearby areas, including Midwood and Bensonhurst, as well as neighborhoods elsewhere. Public health officials have said little about what epidemiological links they have discovered, even as the case count grows by the day and represents the most significant resurgence of the virus in New York City in months.
City officials said they have been encouraged in recent days as mask-wearing has become more common in and around Borough Park — following renewed efforts by city officials to secure cooperation from community leaders.
“I really felt that we had turned the tide,” Dr. Mitchell Katz, who heads the city’s public hospital system, said of increased mask-wearing.“I really felt that we had turned the tide,” Dr. Mitchell Katz, who heads the city’s public hospital system, said of increased mask-wearing.
As part of new enforcement measures, the city will move to fine anybody not wearing a mask, the mayor said. “That will be starting on a large scale today,” he said. Community leaders have faulted the city for a lack of engagement with the Orthodox, and particularly Hasidic, communities, which have a longstanding distrust of secular authorities and a particular dislike for Mr. de Blasio. In April, local leaders were furious after the mayor lashed out against “the Jewish community” in a late-night Twitter outburst, and many view his lack of a similar reprimand of Black Lives Matter protests as evidence of a double standard.
Also, nonpublic schools and child care centers will be forced to close if they do not adhere to safety measures. Avi Greenstein, the chief executive officer of the Boro Park Jewish Community Council, said many Hasidic Jews interpreted city warnings about fines or a potential lockdown as a threat.
But the number of people wearing masks in the neighborhood increased dramatically after community leaders urged them to do so on Friday night, Mr. Greenstein and others said.
“People in this community have their own way of consuming information. It has to come from a trusted source,” he said. “When they see posters and robocalls from the schools and messages from the rabbis, all of that tells people that this is not just outsiders targeting us and threatening us with fines if we don’t do what they say, this is the community telling you this is important.”
City officials said on Tuesday that they had made extensive outreach efforts recently in the affected communities, which included distributing masks to synagogues, speaking to area leaders and passing out literature about the dangers of the virus.
The city said it had also brought in 11 mobile testing sites in those areas and would deploy 350 community engagement specialists.
“We can’t give up the progress that’s allowed us to reopen our city,” Dr. Katz said.
The citywide positivity rate has major implications for the public school system. Under current guidelines, classrooms will close if the test positivity rate exceeds 3 percent over a seven-day rolling average. Mr. de Blasio said on Tuesday that he would not seek to change those guidelines to target specific areas that had seen an uptick.The citywide positivity rate has major implications for the public school system. Under current guidelines, classrooms will close if the test positivity rate exceeds 3 percent over a seven-day rolling average. Mr. de Blasio said on Tuesday that he would not seek to change those guidelines to target specific areas that had seen an uptick.
The mayor said that the current seven-day average was 1.38 percent, and that the city had not seen an increase in cases in schools in the nine ZIP codes in question.The mayor said that the current seven-day average was 1.38 percent, and that the city had not seen an increase in cases in schools in the nine ZIP codes in question.
If schools are forced to close, it could take weeks for them to reopen, according to the city’s health officials.If schools are forced to close, it could take weeks for them to reopen, according to the city’s health officials.
“The goal is to be under 3 percent in a way that is consistent,” Mr. de Blasio said.“The goal is to be under 3 percent in a way that is consistent,” Mr. de Blasio said.
But he cautioned that the city was not yet near that point.But he cautioned that the city was not yet near that point.
Plans to introduce indoor dining in the city on Wednesday will not be affected, the mayor said.Plans to introduce indoor dining in the city on Wednesday will not be affected, the mayor said.
Early last week, city health officials warned residents of several areas — including Gravesend, Borough Park and Midwood in Brooklyn — that strict lockdown measures would be enacted if they did not see a larger effort to follow coronavirus safety measures. Early last week, city health officials warned residents of several areas, including Gravesend, Borough Park and Midwood in Brooklyn, that strict lockdown measures — that could include banning gatherings of more than 10 people — would be enacted if they did not see a larger effort to follow coronavirus safety measures. Such restrictions have not been implemented so far.
Last week, the city health department threatened to ban gatherings of more than 10 people if improvement was not seen quickly. That restriction has not been implemented so far. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, said on Tuesday that city officials would have to get approval from the state in order to enact any major restrictions.
A day earlier, the governor announced that an uptick in the state positivity rate was attributed to the cases in New York City and also in Rockland and Orange Counties.
“A cluster problem is caused by a lack of compliance,” Mr. Cuomo said on Tuesday. “Why was there a lack of compliance? Because the local government failed to do its compliance job.”
Overall, Mr. Cuomo said the positivity rate in the state lowered to 1.3 on Tuesday from 1.58 on Monday.
Borough President Eric Adams of Brooklyn, a Democrat, visited Borough Park on Tuesday, delivering remarks at the Jewish Community Council and then handing out face masks on 13th Avenue, a main thoroughfare.
He criticized the city for failing to take a community-based approach to combating the virus.
“The city has done very little to communicate with different communities through their own credible messengers,” Mr. Adams said. “That has been the biggest flaw in the city response to coronavirus.”
Jesse McKinley and Luis Ferré-Sadurní contributed reporting.