If Albany County stays above the 3-percent threshold for 10 days, it will be declared a yellow zone, the least restrictive of the three zones in the state’s micro-cluster strategy, which began on Oct. 6.
Schools can stay open in yellow zones but 20 percent of students and staff must be tested each week for COVID-19. Houses of worship are limited to 50 percent capacity, mass gatherings are limited, and no more than four people can dine at a restaurant table whether inside or out.
“It’s true that New York’s pandemic benchmarks are currently low compared to the rest of the country. At the current rate of increase, however, the state is on track to catch up,” wrote Bill Hammond in an Empire Center report.
What is Thanksgiving about? It’s about pilgrims coming to a new land, a harsh wilderness where many died, and celebrating their survival at harvest time with the natives who made their survival possible. We are now in that wilderness. We need to help each other survive.
Although Albany County has come close to being named a yellow zone, it has so far avoided that designation — and the restrictions that would come with it.
ALBANY COUNTY — As the state continues its strategy of tamping down micro-clusters of COVID-19, Albany County, while experiencing a surge, has remained under the threshold that would bring new restrictions.
The Albany County website now has a map showing COVID-19 testing sites. The map lets users get directions to different locations, tells them wait times for results, and whether walk-ins are accepted.
“The Black and brown communities that were first on the list of who died cannot be last on the list of who receives the vaccine,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo Sunday in a fiery sermon-like speech.
