4 Long Island communities tabbed as micro-cluster yellow zones

Cuomo says he is doing these zoning areas because different communities have different infection rates. He compared Woodbury, which has a 1.1% rate, against Hampton Bays, which is up to 5.1%

News 12 Staff

Nov 24, 2020, 2:25 AM

Updated 1,489 days ago

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Four Long Island communities are now in yellow COVID-19 zones as of Monday -- Massapequa Park, Great Neck, Hamptons Bays and Riverhead.
Yellow zones mean a handful of changes, but some things will remain the same for now. In terms of changes -- houses of worship will be limited to 50% capacity and mass gatherings will be capped at 25 people. Dining will still be allowed to be indoor and outdoor, but there will be a four-person limit per table.
Schools will remain open but will require 20% testing of the school population over a two-week period.
"It's the infection rate in your community that matters, and that's why we talk about micro-clusters," says Cuomo. "We're looking at the state in terms of communities -- you should look at the state in terms of your community."
Cuomo says he is doing these zoning areas because different communities have different infection rates. He compared Woodbury, which has a 1.1% rate, against Hampton Bays, which is up to 5.1%
The mayor of the Village of Massapequa Park says it's going to be a challenge, but a necessary one.
"It's going to be troublesome to the downtown district ... the businesses have been kind of on life support with COVID," says Massapequa Park Village Mayor Daniel Pearl.
Meanwhile, Josephine Mirasola, of Michaelangelo's Wine Bar, is once again readjusting things to comply with the rules.
"It's definitely going to hurt us, it's definitely going to hurt me some more, but there's nothing we can really do," says Mirasola.
The governor's infection rate map also highlighted some other areas with a high positivity rate, but that are not yet in the yellow zone. Those areas of concern are Freeport, Lawrence, Uniondale, Bethpage and East Hampton. There are currently no red or orange zones on Long Island.