De Blasio says New York could face another shutdown due to rising Covid-19 infections

New York could face another shutdown because of a dangerous second wave of Covid-19 infections, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.

“We’re seeing the kind of level of infection with the coronavirus we haven’t seen since May and we have got to stop that momentum,” de Blasio said in an interview with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota.

Speaking on the same day that the Covid-19 vaccine arrived in the Big Apple, de Blasio described this winter as the “last big battle against the coronavirus here in New York City.”

The city reported an additional 2,137 confirmed and probable Covid-19 cases Monday, along with 185 new hospitalizations.

According to the most recent data from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 5.59% of New Yorkers tested for Covid-19 in the past seven days have tested positive.

Speaking at a news briefing, de Blasio said that “all forms of restrictions have to be on the table at this point.”

“I think there is a likelihood of more restrictions quite soon,” he said. “Folks should start making those adjustments now, and get ready to work remotely if they can.”

Ultimately, however, de Blasio said the state will decide how to move forward.

Under state guidelines, the city will face stringent restrictions if its hospitalization rate is on track to reach 90% capacity within three weeks. Currently, 19% of hospital beds in New York City are available, according to the 7-day cumulative data released by the New York State Department of Health.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that even though New York City was an area of concern, the current metrics in the city do not yet point to a shutdown.

“Any region that winds up in that situation they go to red zone, they go to shutdown, that is what we are trying to avoid,” Cuomo said. “No region is in that situation right now.”