NYC Local Coronavirus Closures Begin Thursday, De Blasio Says

NEW YORK CITY — Swaths of Brooklyn and Queens will revert to strict coronavirus lockdowns for at least 14 days starting Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The shutdowns will follow a new three-zone, color-coded plan outlined by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, de Blasio said Wednesday.

Non-essential businesses will close, all public and private schools will shutter, houses of worship will have restrictions and dining will be takeout in the "red" areas most affected by the virus.

De Blasio said 1,200 city personnel will conduct outreach to businesses and others in those red zones, along with less restrictive "orange" and "yellow" areas.

"We’re going to act quickly to implement this with the state," he said.

The looming lockdowns aim to tamp out hotspots of coronavirus infection that flared up in Brooklyn and Queens. COVID-19 positivity rates in affected ZIP codes have hovered above 3 percent for more than a week, sometimes reaching higher than 8 percent, officials said.

De Blasio on Sunday proposed localized closures focused on nine ZIP codes. Cuomo, after days of friction with the city, on Tuesday took up the call for closures but instituted a color-coded system of concentric rings around clusters.

The new system quickly prompted confusion because the state at first only published vague maps showing restrictions covering broad, undefined areas of Brooklyn and Queens. Officials eventually released more detailed maps but many questions remain about how the new zones affect businesses and residents on the borders of zones.

The city soon will publish a website allowing New Yorkers to easily tell what zone they are in, de Blasio said.

Red zones have the most restrictive lockdowns. Orange zones are slightly less strict — schools will be closed but only "high-risk" businesses will shutter. Yellow zones are under caution and require weekly coronavirus testing at schools.

Cuomo's announcement on Tuesday was met by protests in Orthodox Jewish communities, where many felt they were being singled out.

The hotspots do encompass many Jewish neighborhoods and those communities have been hit hard by the virus, but de Blasio noted the zones cover diverse areas. Stopping the virus in those places will help save lives, he said.

"We need to stop this outbreak dead in its tracks for the good of all of New York City," he said.

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