Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state Health Department is ordering hospitals statewide to increase their bed capacity by 25 percent to deal with the increase in coronavirus cases.

Cuomo says if hospital capacity is overwhelmed in a region, that region will be closed.

The governor says if hospitalizations are not stabilized in five days, indoor dining will be closed in New York City and will be lowered from 50 percent to 25 percent in the rest of the state.

Cuomo also says over 70 percent of cases can be traced to households and small gatherings.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who joined Cuomo’s briefing, said the middle of January could be a very dark time for New York.

Fauci  says a post-Thanksgiving surge in COVID-19 cases will likely hit within the next week-and-a-half, overlapping with the start of another surge as holiday travel ramps up.

Meanwhile, the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate was 4.2 on Sunday.

Cuomo says when you add in the hot spot areas, it’s 4.9 percent.

Hospitalizations are over 4,600 and there were 80 COVID-related deaths yesterday.

The governor says there is a higher positive infection rate upstate compared to downstate and New York City.

 

CHECK THEM OUT: 100 years of Christmas toys, gifts and fads

 

More From WIBX 950