'Plans Are Being Developed’ For More COVID Rules in New York

More COVID restrictions are expected across New York State.

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Gov. Hochul announced new COVID restrictions and hinted more could be announced by Friday or the near future.

Update: On Friday Hochul announced new COVID rules that impact every New Yorker and fines if caught breaking the rules. CLICK HERE to find out the details.

Hochul officially suspended elective surgeries at 32 New York hospitals. The new restrictions are due to hospital capacity concerns.

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“Hospitalizations keep me up at night,” Hochul said. “You can draw a direct correlation between areas with low vaccination rates and high hospitalization rates. We want to make sure we are alerting people, and people have to take this very seriously. (An) increase in hospitalizations means fewer beds, and less access to critical services.”

Hochul also confirmed new COVID restrictions are being planned.

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“Plans are being developed to combat the impending surge,” Hochul added. “We have been taking very bold steps to help. I know the numbers, and we are preparing to assist all the regions in our state. I will continue to reserve the right to take proper steps if necessary, and the numbers right now — they’re not looking good.”

This comes as the state is reporting COVID numbers not seen since the spring. Nearly 3,500 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 across New York. That's the highest number since April and an increase of 86 percent in the past month.

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When asked if COVID restrictions could be released on Friday, Hochul said she's having talks with many people to slow the spread of COVID with the holidays upcoming, adding "stay tuned."

Hochul confirmed 5.0 percent of tests in the past 24 hours came back positive statewide and 54 more Empire State residents died from the virus.

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Over 92 percent of New Yorkers 18 and older have at least one vaccine dose. 79.7 of all New Yorkers have at least one dose.

Below is each region's updated 7-day average percentage of positive test results:

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