The Democratic governor also said gyms must close by 10 p.m. The new restrictions take effect on Friday, and come two weeks before Thanksgiving, possibly throwing a wrench in some families’ holiday plans. Mr. Cuomo said private gatherings, bars, restaurants and gyms have been a source of increase for the virus, which killed 21 New Yorkers on Tuesday.
“If these measures are not sufficient to slow the spread, we will reduce—we will turn the valve more, and part of that would be reducing the number of people in indoor dining,” the governor said in a conference call. “If that doesn’t work, if these numbers keep going crazy—you have some scientists who believe we’ll go back to a closedown. I’m praying that doesn’t happen.”
The new restrictions will apply to both indoor and outdoor gatherings. Officials including Mr. Cuomo have warned against traveling for Thanksgiving. New York requires people coming from other states to either quarantine themselves for 14 days upon arrival, or obtain coronavirus tests before and after they travel.
Melissa Fleischut, president of the New York State Restaurant Association, an industry group, said the new regulations were a huge blow.
“Our members have put in place procedures and protocols to mitigate the spread, and we’ll continue to do so to ensure the safety of our employees and patrons. We understand the logic behind micro-cluster restrictions, but at this time we have concerns about blanket statewide restrictions like this,” she said in a statement.
In the entire state, officials identified another 4,820 coronavirus infections—representing 2.93% of the tests processed on Tuesday, state officials said. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals around the state rose to 1,628, a level last seen on June 13.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a Twitter post on Wednesday that the share of New York City residents who tested positive for Covid-19 over the past week reached 2.52%, according to the most recent data from Monday. A day earlier, city officials said the seven-day average positivity rate was 2.31%, the highest percentage since June, according to city data.
If the seven-day average positivity rate reaches 3%, the city could face further restrictions, including schools closing, officials have previously warned.
Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, stopped short of calling the uptick a second wave of the virus.
“This is our LAST chance to stop a second wave,” he said in his tweet. “We can do it, but we have to act NOW.”
The city has done targeted outreach in certain parts of the city that has seen upticks starting this summer. The most recent outreach has been focused on Staten Island, where the 10307 and 10308 ZIP Codes have a seven-day average positivity rate of about 5%.
But each of the five boroughs in New York City has at least two ZIP Codes with daily positivity rates above 3%, according to city data.
Mr. Cuomo also said Wednesday that he would designate parts of Staten Island as a “yellow zone” which requires increased testing of school pupils and staff, and that he was mandating remote learning at schools in the Westchester County village of Port Chester.