Cuomo orders Orange Zone coronavirus rules for parts of Onondaga County, the expanded Yellow Zone

New York – Parts of Onondaga County are now a coronavirus orange zone, Governor Andrew Cuomo said today.

The Orange Zone includes parts of Syracuse, Solvay, DeWitt and Lyncourt, Cuomo said at a press conference in New York. The county yellow zone, in place since the start of the month and surrounding the new orange zone, has also been expanded:

An exact list of cities and school districts that are currently in each zone was not immediately available.

The new designation of the orange zone has stricter rules. They include:

• Place of worship limited to 33% of its total capacity, against 50%, and 25 people maximum
• Gatherings are limited to 10 people indoors and outdoors
• High-risk non-essential businesses are closed, including gyms and personal care providers like barbers and salons
• Meals are limited outside only with a maximum of four people per table.
• Schools close for in-person classes and switch to distance learning

Although schools in Orange Zones are required to close initially, they can reopen after four days if they test every student and staff in the buildings in person. People who test positive are not allowed to return to school until they recover.

Schools are then required to test 25% of the population in buildings in person each week thereafter.

Cuomo said yesterday that trends point to an orange zone for parts of the county, which has set several records for new cases in recent weeks. Local hospitals are filling up.

The yellow zone rules that the county had previously faced do not force schools to close, but require more testing in buildings. The yellow areas do not require business closures either.

The full rules for the yellow zone include:

• Places of worship limited to 50% of their total capacity, as they are outside a cluster area
• Mass meetings limited to 25 people inside and outside, instead of 50
• Indoor and outdoor dining limited to a maximum of four people per table, instead of 10

Schools in the yellow zones now have two weeks to test 20% of their students and staff. If the positive test rate of that 20 percent is less than the yellow zone’s 7-day moving average, the district has met its testing requirements and nothing more is required.

If the rate is not lower, the district should test 20 percent of the population every two weeks.

To break out of an orange zone, more populous areas like the city of Syracuse must see their seven-day average test percentage positive for the virus drop below 2% for three days at the end of a drop in 10 days This is 3% for less populated areas like the rest of Onondaga County.

To leave a yellow area, the percentages are 1.5% for a large city and 2% for other areas.

The state also takes into account other factors such as hospitalizations and cases per capita.

The seven-day average positive rate in the yellow zone of Onondaga County was 5.12% yesterday, compared to 6.58% the week of November 8.

Even outside of cluster areas, indoor and outdoor gatherings in private homes all over New York City are now capped at 10 people. Bars, restaurants and gyms statewide must also close by 10 p.m.

MORE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in New York: cases, maps, charts and resources

CNY hospitals struggle to cope with record increase in Covid-19 patients

Onondaga County loosens quarantine of students and school staff as tests show low spread of coronavirus

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Full coronavirus coverage at syracuse.com

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