Coronavirus Update, November 10, 2020

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York will take a “microcluster” approach as infection rates are climbing in areas of New York, including Erie County, Monroe County, and Onondaga County. Cuomo said that he’ll work with local officials on the new restrictions, as these areas have seen infection rates climb from around 1% to around 3% in recent weeks.

The governor also mentioned that downstate New York has lower infection rates on average than Upstate New York, which is the opposite from the beginning of the pandemic. Cuomo’s “microcluster” approach directs efforts towards specific areas of higher infection, heightens enforcement of mask and social distancing mandates, and increases the amount of testing and contact tracing.

This announcement comes as Syracuse University moved all their classes online through the end of the semester due to high infection rates. More locally, Trumansburg Central School District is on a month-long break from in-person classes and Tompkins Cortland Community College is on a week-long break from in-person classes for the same reason.

Looking at the local COVID-19 caseload, the latest numbers, released today from the Tompkins County health department, indicate that there are 9 additional positive, and 3 new recoveries. According to the County Health Department, that leaves 63 active cases of COVID-19 in Tompkins.

In Schuyler County, there are 7 new cases of COVID-19 reported as of today, leaving 36 active cases, according to their Health Department.