On Thursday, Nov. 19, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued some travel and other updates in the context of the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in New York State.

 

“What I’ve seen from this virus after battling it for 260-plus straight days is that in some ways its course is predictable,” Cuomo said. “So, it is clear that as people travel for the Thanksgiving holiday — so will the virus. Travel is a real concern because New York State has one of the lowest infection rates in the country. If people travel here from states with higher infection rates, that poses a great risk.

 

The governor said that the CDC is strongly urging Americans to avoid Thanksgiving travel. “Celebrate this American tradition with just your immediate household to help ensure the safety of your loved ones and your community,” Cuomo said. “Love is sometimes doing what’s hard and this year, if you love someone, it is smarter and better to stay away. It’s tough to hear but it’s better to be safe than sorry—and we can still spread thanks without spreading COVID.”

 

The governor provided the following updates.

 

1. The positivity rate in the micro-cluster focus areas dropped slightly to 4.11 percent. Excluding these areas, it was 2.38 percent. Of the 195,239 tests reported yesterday, 5,310, or 2.72 percent, were positive. Total hospitalizations rose to 2,276. Sadly, 31 New Yorkers were lost to the virus.

 

2. New York updated the COVID-19 micro-cluster focus zones. Rockland County’s Yellow Zone will be expanded, and parts of Orange and Westchester counties will become Yellow Zones due to increased cases, positivity, and hospital admissions from these areas. All the maps of the current micro-cluster focus zones are available here.

 

3. The governor met with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and fellow governors to discuss the ongoing COVID response. He said he looked forward to a strong federal-state partnership, and to working hand-in-hand in the months ahead. Topics of discussion included how to achieve a fast and equitable vaccine distribution, and how to help communities recover economically and more.

 

4. Round two of the Nourish NY program is underway. So far, 1.7 million pounds of raw milk has been turned into dairy products and distributed by food banks, in addition to 210,000 pounds of produce. Over 940,000 households have received products sourced from New York farms through this initiative, which is helping keep businesses and families afloat.

 

5. The governor said a smaller Thanksgiving celebration doesn’t mean you have to skip out on the great food. To help New Yorkers plan for smaller holiday gatherings, I Love NY created a list of scaled-down recipes that are great for smaller Thanksgiving celebrations.