Buffalo Bills Pilot Program
Today Governor Cuomo announced a pilot program that will open Bills Stadium for the January 9th playoff game. The program will allow 6,700 fans into the stadium after testing negative before entrance into the game. All fans will be required to wear masks and observe social distance protocols once inside. All fans will be tested over the two days prior to the game. Fans will be contacted by the State Department of Health after the game to follow up with all contact tracing requirements.
As this remains a pilot program, any attendance decisions for Bills home playoff games this season has yet to be determined.
Death Benefits Extension
The Governor announced today that via a forthcoming executive order he would be extending the law that provides death benefits for families of healthcare workers who died as a result of pandemic for an additional 30 days.
Updated Quarantine Guidance
Yesterday the State announced updated quarantine guidelines, making them consistent with the latest CDC guidance. Under the new guidelines, individuals exposed to COVID-19 can end their quarantine after 10 days without a testing requirement as long as no symptoms have been reported during the quarantine period. After day 10 is reached, individuals must continue monitoring for symptoms through day 14 and if any develop, they should immediately self-isolate and contact the local health department or their healthcare provider to report this change and determine if they should seek testing.
Evictions Moratorium Changes Needed
When asked about the recent residential eviction moratorium passed by the legislature the Governor stated that he was happy it passed but identified a few “loopholes” that would need to be fixed moving forward. The highlighted loopholes were the lack of protections for commercial tenants such as restaurants, and residential tenants are not protected from late fees and penalties on top of the need to pay back rent that was still owed.
Orange Zone Metrics
With many regions in the State having already moved past the original metrics that would trigger an Orange zone, Governor Cuomo stated today that the current restrictions are “less effective than they were let’s say, initially. That may be true because more of the spread is coming from these social gatherings.” Social gatherings currently combine for over 75% of the total spread in the State.
New York State COVID-19 Numbers
The statewide positivity rate yesterday was 8.66% with 7,892 hospitalizations, an increase of 78 people over the previous day. There were 144 COVID-19 deaths in New York State yesterday.
