New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio Announces Re-Closing Of 9 Neighborhoods With Spikes In COVID-19 Cases

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday that nine of the city’s neighborhoods would be re-closing due to a surge in coronavirus cases, The New York Times reported.

According to de Blasio, the “rewind” will hit regions that have experienced a testing positivity rate of over 3 percent across the last seven days. The move will affect public and private schools, nonessential businesses, and daycare centers in the neighborhoods, which are located in Brooklyn and Queens.

“Today, unfortunately, is not a day for celebration,” de Blasio said.

“Today is a more difficult day.”

According to The New York Times, de Blasio’s decision will affect just 20 of the 146 ZIP codes in New York City. Notably, the ZIP codes that face the strictest restrictions include Midwood, Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay, Gravesend, and Borough Park in Brooklyn, and regions of Kew Gardens and Far Rockaway in Queens.

“Still, the move reflects the growing fear of a second wave of the virus, and marks the first major reversal in the city’s reopening since it was hit hard by the outbreak in March,” the publication noted.

Although New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has yet to approve the plan, if he does, it will go into effect on Wednesday. De Blasio also reportedly has plans for other regions showing concerning rises in COVID-19. In response to such spikes, the mayor will be implementing fewer restrictions that will affect 11 neighborhoods.

De Blasio is also allegedly in talks with the state of New York about taking measures to enforce the forthcoming restrictions.

“We are finding some places where enforcement is needed, but really not that many in the scheme of things. But we will keep pounding away with that and we will certainly work with the state in every way possible.”

As reported by Politico, New York City has been a coronavirus hotspot since the spring and has over 251,000 cases as of Sunday afternoon. Thus far, almost 24,000 people in the region have died from the virus. Despite the uphill climb, the city managed to take control of its infection rates amid gradual reopening — until recently.

“We can stop this from spreading more deeply into New York City,” the mayor said.

Although Cuomo has yet to address the plan, Politico noted that he used a recent statement to criticize local governments for their handling of pandemic rule enforcement. The governor claimed that the state would intervene if local jurisdictions cannot adequately enforce the rules of their respective areas.