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Governor Cuomo Announces Ski Resorts Allowed to Reopen With 50 Percent Indoor Capacity Beginning November 6

Key Highlights
January 22, 2024

Masks Required When Not Eating, Drinking or Skiing, Lifts Restricted to Members of the Same Party, Thorough Cleaning and Disinfection of Rented Equipment and Other Health and Safety Protocols Required

Statewide Positivity Rate is 1.08 Percent

Positive Testing Rate in Hot Spot Areas is 3.19 Percent; New York State Positivity Without Red Zone Focus Areas Included is 1.0 Percent

7 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that ski resorts can reopen with 50 percent indoor capacity and with strict health and safety protocols under state-issued guidance starting Friday, November 6.

“Scientists have told us the virus is going to become more aggressive in the fall, and right now, we are all feeling COVID-fatigue, but our micro-cluster strategy is a smart, data-driven and less disruptive strategy to get us through this season. And so far, the data shows the micro-cluster strategy is working to bring infection rates down in our red zone areas,” Governor Cuomo said. “Beginning next month, Ski resorts will be allowed to reopen with limited indoor capacity, which will allow New Yorkers to have some outdoor activity this winter without having to quarantine when they come back.”

State guidance on the reopening of ski resorts includes the following precautions:

  • Masks required at all times, except when eating/drinking or skiing.
  • Social distancing between parties required at all times.
  • Restrict gondolas/lifts to members of the same party.
  • Limit ski lessons to no more than 10 people.
  • Thorough cleaning and disinfection of shared/rented equipment.
  • Shuttles, food & beverage, retail service must conform to State-issued
  • Reduce outdoor capacity on mountain by 25% during “peak” days or if multiple trails are closed due to unseasonable conditions.

The Governor also updated New Yorkers on the State’s response to COVID-19. In “Red Zone” focus areas included as part of the Governor’s Cluster Action Initiative, the positivity rate for test results reported yesterday is 3.19 percent – down from 4.34 the day before.

Within the “Red Zone” focus areas, 4,642 test results were reported yesterday, yielding 148 positives or a 3.19 percent positivity rate. In the remainder of the state, not counting these “Red Zone” focus areas, 124,121 test results were reported, yielding 1,242 positives or a 1.00 percent positivity rate. The state’s overall positivity rate is 1.08 percent with focus areas included. The “Red Zone” focus areas are home to 2.8 percent of the state population yet had 10.6 percent of all positive test results reported to the state yesterday, and 11.5 percent of all positive case results reported to the state this past week.

FOCUS ZONE 9/27-10/3 % Positive 10/4- 10/10 % Positive Week to Date (10/11 – 10/17) % Positive Day Prior (10/16) % Positive Yesterday (10/17) % Positive
Brooklyn red-zone focus area % positive 6.69% 5.86% 5.29% 4.92% 4.92%
Queens % red-zone focus area % positive 2.97% 3.36% 2.37% 2.39% 1.89%
Rockland % red-zone focus area % positive 12.29% 9.77% 4.54% 5.05% 2.22%
Orange red-zone focus area % positive 24.64% 12.41% 4.62% 6.47% 1.04%
All red-zone focus area % positive 6.91% 6.13% 4.42% 4.34% 3.19%
Statewide % positive with red-zone focus areas included 1.25% 1.18% 1.16% 1.11% 1.08%
Statewide % positive without red-zone focus areas included 1.02% 1.01% 1.06% 1.02% 1.00%
  9/27-10/3 10/4- 10/10 Week to Date (10/11 – 10/17) Day Prior (10/16) Yesterday (10/17)
Percentage of state’s positive cases coming from red-zone focus areas 21.8% 17.6% 11.5% 10.5% 10.6%

Today’s data is summarized briefly below:

  • Patient Hospitalization – 913 (-16)
  • Patients Newly Admitted – 118
  • Hospital Counties – 42
  • Number ICU – 200 (+5)
  • Number ICU with Intubation – 102 (-1)
  • Total Discharges – 78,362 (+127)
  • Deaths – 7
  • Total Deaths – 25,644

Each region’s percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

REGION THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
Capital Region 0.7% 0.6% 0.9%
Central New York 1.2% 0.7% 1.2%
Finger Lakes 1.5% 0.9% 1.3%
Long Island 1.1% 1.0% 1.1%
Mid-Hudson 1.8% 1.6% 1.4%
Mohawk Valley 0.3% 0.3% 0.3%
New York City 1.2% 1.2% 1.1%
North Country 0.5% 0.3% 0.7%
Southern Tier 1.6% 1.4% 0.9%
Western New York 1.4% 1.4% 1.6%

Each New York City borough’s percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

BOROUGH THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
Bronx 1.60% 1.20% 1.5%
Brooklyn 1.40% 1.50% 1.5%
Manhattan 0.70% 0.70% 0.6%
Queens 1.20% 1.30% 0.9%
Staten Island 1.40% 1.40% 1.4%

Of the 484,281 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

County Total Positive New Positive
Albany 3,416 18
Allegany 205 5
Broome 2,896 52
Cattaraugus 403 4
Cayuga 289 5
Chautauqua 796 7
Chemung 1,244 45
Chenango 313 9
Clinton 197 5
Columbia 647 6
Cortland 406 7
Delaware 159 0
Dutchess 5,328 10
Erie 12,451 58
Essex 192 2
Franklin 77 0
Fulton 359 1
Genesee 371 0
Greene 472 7
Hamilton 16 0
Herkimer 370 2
Jefferson 188 2
Lewis 56 1
Livingston 239 0
Madison 533 2
Monroe 6,707 36
Montgomery 254 0
Nassau 48,596 102
Niagara 1,958 12
NYC 254,352 612
Oneida 2,593 7
Onondaga 5,011 34
Ontario 576 17
Orange 13,169 30
Orleans 362 2
Oswego 584 2
Otsego 364 0
Putnam 1,736 5
Rensselaer 1,027 6
Rockland 17,171 46
Saratoga 1,207 5
Schenectady 1,498 7
Schoharie 100 0
Schuyler 88 2
Seneca 127 1
St. Lawrence 358 3
Steuben 857 10
Suffolk 48,029 88
Sullivan 1,675 1
Tioga 435 11
Tompkins 540 6
Ulster 2,411 9
Warren 438 1
Washington 326 0
Wayne 379 2
Westchester 39,476 78
Wyoming 166 3
Yates 88 4

Yesterday, there were 7 deaths due to COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 25,644. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:

Deaths by County of Residence
County New Deaths
Bronx 1
Chemung 1
Erie 1
Manhattan 2
Queens 1
Westchester 1
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