Upset by “rampant” violations of New York’s pandemic-fighting restrictions, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is threatening to reinstate closings in areas where local governments fail to enforce the rules.
Manhattan and Long Island’s tony Hamptons were singled out Sunday as problem areas by Cuomo, who cited 25,000 complaints statewide of reopening violations. The large gatherings, social-distancing violations and lax face-covering enforcement endanger the state’s fragile progress in the fight against the coronavirus, Cuomo said, adding that many complaints involve bars and restaurants.
“We are not kidding around with this. You’re talking about jeopardizing people’s lives,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing.
The warning comes a day after the Democratic governor reacted sternly to a short Twitter video from New York City of young people enjoying a warm day packed tightly on a city street, many without masks.
New York officials are trying to avoid the fate of states seeing a surge in new cases after reopening. New York’s coronavirus-related hospitalizations are declining and the state recorded 23 deaths Saturday, the lowest one-day coronavirus death toll since the early days of the crisis.