MARCH 17 UPDATE: Gov. Andrew Cuomo said all remaining cluster zones in the state, along with the associated restrictions, will expire on Monday, March 22.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a sweeping removal of coronavirus restrictions in nearly all of New York state's 26 cluster zones Wednesday, leaving just five yellow precautionary zones in place as he declared the "holiday surge is over."
The color-coded restrictions were first debuted in early fall as the state started to see what would become a months-long period of viral increases on every core metric. They were last updated just before Thanksgiving and again a week before Christmas as part of an effort to curb the potential for holiday-related spread.
There have been no red zones, which see total shutdowns, in place for some time. Should a region notify the state it is 21 days from hitting 85 percent hospital capacity, those red zone restrictions would be reinstated. Under the current rules, orange zones move schools fully remote but have less harsh business restrictions, while yellow zones have more leeway and are mainly precautionary.
Here are the updated rules by color code. Below that, you'll find the updated cluster maps from Cuomo's office as of Jan. 27. Not sure if you're in a cluster zone? The state has a handy searchable tool by address to help with that. So does New York City (that one is embedded below). Heavy fines apply for violating the rules -- Mayor Bill de Blasio said penalties could be up to $15,000 a day for mass gathering infractions and up to $1,000 a day each for social distancing and face-covering violations. Get more detail on the latest changes here.
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Red Zones
- Schools: Closed, remote only
- Dining: Takeout only
- Businesses: Only essential businesses open
- Mass gatherings: Prohibited
- Houses of worship: 25% capacity, 10 people maximum
Orange Zones
- Schools: Closed, remote only unless they meet criteria for "test-out" option
- Dining: Outdoor dining only, 4 person maximum per table
- Businesses: Closes high-risk nonessential businesses but gyms and salons can stay open with reduced capacity (25 percent) and increased testing
- Mass gatherings: 10 people maximum, indoor and outdoor
- Houses of worship: 33% capacity, 25 people maximum
Yellow Zones
- Schools: Open, mandatory weekly testing of students and teachers/staff for in-person settings
- Dining: Indoor and outdoor dining, 4 person maximum per table
- Businesses: Open
- Mass gatherings: 25 people maximum, indoors and outdoors
- Houses of worship: 50% capacity