NEW YORK, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The infection rate in central Queens has improved substantially and there could be action to change the district's health regulations in the next few days, The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday quoted Mayor Bill de Blasio as saying.
Except central Queens, it is too early to specify when schools and nonessential businesses will be allowed to reopen for other "Red Zones" which have seen the highest COVID-19 test positivity rates, said de Blasio, estimating that it may take another couple of weeks.
"We do continue to see a leveling off in some of the areas of greatest concern," said the mayor. "We can get out of this in just a few weeks if everyone does what they need to do."
New York City's rate of positive COVID-19 cases on Monday was 2.17 percent, and the 7-day rolling average was 1.62 percent, according to de Blasio.
"We can stop a second wave. Right now the numbers suggest we are stopping a second wave, but we have to remain vigilant," said the mayor.
At the end of September, the state ordered the closure of schools and nonessential businesses, and it limited capacity at houses of worship to 25 percent or 10 people in the "Red Zones."
The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University reported 33,366 coronavirus deaths in New York State as of Tuesday noon, the worst among all the states in the country. Enditem
