Following a recent rise in COVID-19 cases, Governor Andrew Cuomo has put two Bronx areas into precautionary ‘yellow zones,’ also placing “self imposed” blame on residents for the new restrictions.
The two separate Bronx regions are: the south-west beginning in Highbridge, spanning north to the Grand Concourse’s end at Mosholu Parkway while the other one starts in Mott Haven and reaches eastbound to Soundview.
That second, larger yellow zone touches other Bronx neighborhoods: Morrisania, Longwood, Hunts Point, Castle Hill, Parkchester, Van Nest, Bronx Park East and Unionport.
Under the yellow zone, mass gatherings are limited to 25 or fewer people, houses of worship must reduce their capacity to no greater than 50%, and there’s a four-person seating limit for all indoor and outdoor dining.
“And just to make it very simple, if you socially distanced, and you wore a mask, and you were smart, none of this would be a problem. It’s all self-imposed,” Cuomo said upon making the announcement Wednesday.
“What’s the good news? The good news is micro-clusters work. Following the rules works. Broome and Orange Counties were Yellow Zones and they’re now back to normal. Brooklyn was an Orange Zone and is being dropped to a Yellow Zone. So the restrictions work,” the governor added.
The state reported that Bronx saw cases rise from 2.5 to 3.9 percent from Sunday to Tuesday, making it the second highest positivity rate throughout the five boroughs, only behind Staten Island’s 4.3 percent.
