Cuomo recommends against large Thanksgiving gatherings amid COVID-19

Albany, N.Y. – Gov. Andrew Cuomo says New York’s COVID-19 infection rate is currently the second-lowest of all 50 states in the U.S.

During a conference call Wednesday, the governor said 129,000 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours. The infection rate in New York’s hot zones are 3.8%. With the hot spot oversampling, the state’s rate is 1.5%. Without that oversampling, the rate is at 1.3%.

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, Gov. Cuomo is also cautioning against large family gatherings. Legally, New Yorkers can go anywhere in the country they want, and anyone can come into the state – however he stressed people must follow the state’s Travel Advisory quarantine regulations.

He also cautioned about recent upticks in COVID cases related to small gatherings – warning that large gatherings are not the only way the virus can spread.

“My personal advice is you don’t have a family gathering, even for Thanksgiving,” the governor said Wednesday. “My personal advice is the best way to say ‘I love you’ this Thanksgiving, the best way to say ‘I’m thankful for you’ is to say ‘I love you so much, I’m so thankful for you, that I don’t want to endanger you, and I don’t want to endanger our family and I don’t want to endanger our friends, so we’ll celebrate virtually.’”

Cuomo also announced Wednesday that the state is giving county and city governments clearance to enforce masking mandates in area schools should they deem it necessary. The state had previously left the decision of whether students should wear masks to schools.