You are reading

Cuomo Says State Will Begin to Lift Some COVID-19 Restrictions in Coming Days

Governor Andrew Cuomo said he will announce reductions in micro-cluster restrictions on Wednesday (Governor Andrew Cuomo)

Jan. 25, 2021 By Allie Griffin

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state will begin to lift some COVID-19 restrictions this week as the state’s coronavirus positivity rate and other benchmarks are decreasing.

Cuomo said he will lower restrictions in micro-cluster zones statewide–including a Queens yellow zone that covers portions of northern and central Queens. He will announce the exact changes on Wednesday, he told reporters today.

However, he said indoor dining, which has been banned across the five boroughs since Dec. 14, is unlikely to reopen this week.

“We’re not at this point contemplating any changes,” Cuomo said.

He said the state is instead focusing on the micro-cluster zones, where restrictions exist on houses of worship, gyms, hair salons and outdoor dining.

The state, he said, is able to lift some of these restrictions because New York’s coronavirus positivity rate was at 5.85 percent yesterday — down from a high of 7.94 percent on Jan. 4.

“The good news is the number is down and it’s been continuing to decline,” Cuomo said.

COVID-19 hospitalizations, he said, are also beginning to decline across the state.

The figures show that New York has got past the COVID-19 peak period that followed from holiday gatherings. As a result, Cuomo said, the state is continuing to reopen the economy.

Northeast Queens micro-cluster yellow zone (NY State)

email the author: news@queenspost.com

3 Comments

Click for Comments 
Jorge Colon

What’s behind this face of Cuomo?
“NY Nursing Home Deaths May Have Been 50% Higher Than Reported”
Shame on you Andrew!

1
1
Reply
Mad ?er

Face it you won’t see indoor dining until after the super bowl. Can’t have large gathering with a wild crowd .
It’ll re- open for a much milder Valentine’s day crowd

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Catch the fall vibe at these western Queens breweries

Sep. 3, 2025 By Jessica Militello

September rings in the start of Oktoberfest from mid-September through October, featuring special brews, fun events and more fall fun. Western Queens is filled with breweries to enjoy seasonal brews, fall flavors and the start of cooler weather as Autumn approaches, making it a perfect time to meet up with friends at these local spaces.

Op-Ed | Four years after Hurricane Ida, Queens deserves real climate resilience

Sep. 2, 2025 By Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas

Four years ago, Hurricane Ida tore through our neighborhoods of East Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights, leaving behind devastation we will never forget. We lost neighbors to the floodwaters. Families saw their homes destroyed, their basements wiped out, their lives upended. Immigrant families—so many of them undocumented—were hit the hardest, often excluded from relief altogether. Ida was not just a storm; it was a wake-up call.

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

Fresh Meadows MS-13 gang associate sentenced to nearly a half-century in prison for murder of Corona teen in Kissena Park: Feds

An MS-13 gang associate from Fresh Meadows was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Tuesday, Aug. 26, for the 2018 slaying of a Corona teenager in Flushing’s Kissena Park.

Juan Amaya-Ramirez, 27, and his co-defendant Oscar Flores-Mejia, 25, from Elmhurst, who is also an associate of the transnational criminal organization, pleaded guilty to the murder of 17-year-old Andy Peralta in Brooklyn federal court last September.