NYC Infection Rate Drops to 2%; Cuomo Urges Tests for Protesters

(Bloomberg) -- New York City's coronavirus infection rate has dropped to 2% from 26% six weeks ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday, days before the region's reopening.

The governor warned that large-scale protests across the state, particularly in New York City, could cause the virus rate to rise. He said he was expanding the criteria for testing to protesters -- and he urged them to take the test.

There have been about 30,000 protesters statewide, including 20,000 in New York City, marching and gathering against police brutality and racial discrimination following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

“If you were at one of those protests, I would, out of an abundance of caution, assume that you were infected,” he said at his daily briefing. “If you went to a protest, get a test, tell people, act as if you may have been exposed.”

New York state is averaging 50,000 tests per day, and the number of those testing positive for Covid-19 has dramatically decreased since mid-April, Cuomo said.

Six weeks ago, 20% of Long Islanders tested positive, he said. The rate is now 2%.

Data shows that 2% of Western New Yorkers and 1% of those in the Capital Region tested positive as of June 3, dropping from 15% and 12%, respectively, he said.

Cuomo called the decrease “remarkable,” attributing the decrease to social distancing and mask-wearing measures imposed by the state.

The number of hospitalizations and new cases continues to decline statewide, and there were 52 virus-related fatalities on June 3, Cuomo said.

Statewide, more than 375,000 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since the outbreak began in March, and there have been more than 24,000 virus-related fatalities.

“We're making great progress, but as fast as these numbers came down is as fast as these numbers can go up,” Cuomo said.