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New York State reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases for the first time since early June.
The US state confirmed 1,005 additional positive cases, or 1 percent of those tested on Friday, bringing the total to 454,760. Hospitalizations increased from 16 to 527, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office.
John Minchillo / AP
Students wear protective masks when they arrive to class at Immaculate Conception School while observing COVID-19 prevention protocols in the Bronx district of New York.
New York, the first epicenter of the covid-19 outbreak in the US, reported more than 10,000 cases per day during its peak.
The state has reopened in phases and by regions.
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New York City, which has more than half of the state’s cases, is still in the process of reopening and has reported clusters of case increases in recent days.
Cuomo has said he expects higher cases during the reopening process and has urged residents to wear masks and remain socially distant.
“It is vital that New Yorkers continue to practice the basic behaviors that drive our ability to fight COVID-19 as we move into the fall and flu season,” Cuomo said in a statement.
“We will continue to closely monitor the data and keep New Yorkers up to date so they can make informed decisions for themselves and their families.”
The last time New York had more than 1,000 cases was on June 5, when 1,108 of 77,895 tests, or 1.4 percent, tested positive, according to the governor’s office.
Marcio José Sánchez / AP
The pandemic began with devastation in the New York City area and was followed by a summer crisis in the Sun Belt. But now it is affecting cities with much smaller populations, often in conservative corners of the United States where anti-mask sentiment is high, creating problems in hospitals and schools in the Midwest and West.
Since then, the state has stepped up testing and conducted nearly 100,000 tests yesterday. Its seven-day moving average positivity rate is around 1 percent, compared with 2 percent in early June. As of mid-September, New York had reported 38 days in a row with an infection rate of less than 1 percent.
In New York, hospitalizations for Covid-19 peaked at more than 18,000 in April. More than 25,000 residents have died from the virus.
Cuomo and neighboring governors have enacted a 14-day quarantine requirement for people visiting from states where cases are increasing.
