Sixteen COVID-19 cases in a Brooklyn neighborhood are connected to a large wedding, Mayor Bill de Blasio says - as NYC's infection rate falls to 0.24% which is the lowest since the pandemic began
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says some of the 16 coronavirus cases detected in a single Brooklyn neighborhood have been linked to a large wedding - as the city's infection rate falls to its lowest since the COVID-19 outbreak started.
De Blasio said on Wednesday that officials had detected an uptick of COVID-19 cases in Borough Park - a neighborhood that has a large Hasidic Jew population.
Some of the 16 cases uncovered in Borough Park have been tied to a large wedding that had more than 50 guests, according to de Blasio.
'Some of these 16 cases are linked to a recent wedding, a large wedding in fact, in the community,' de Blasio said.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says some of the 16 coronavirus cases detected in a single Brooklyn neighborhood have been linked to a large wedding
He said disease detectives were currently investigating if the wedding had resulted in substantial spread and were working to inform Borough Park residents to 'get tested, wear face coverings and avoid large gatherings'.
'We are working immediately to galvanize community leaders to work with the Test and Trace Corps,' de Blasio said.
Even as Borough Park saw infections rise, de Blasio said the city had reached a record low positive test rate of 0.24 percent.
'Overall, New York City is doing so well... And you'll hear today's indicators, they're pretty extraordinary. But we've got to stay vigilant,' he said.
'The number I'm showing you here today is the lowest number we have had since this crisis began.
'This is the lowest infection rate in New York City since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis. Today's number - 0.24 percent. This is extraordinary.
Even as Borough Park saw infections rise, de Blasio said the city had reached a record low positive test rate of 0.24 percent
'Now we all know every day can vary. We all know there's no single perfect measure. But the fact that with expanded testing and more and more outreach all the time, you now see a number as low as 0.24 percent for the New York City infection rate. This is striking.'
It comes after de Blasio said last week that officials were investigating an uptick in cases in the adjacent neighborhood of Sunset Park after 228 positive cases were discovered from 3,300 tests.
The Mayor said this week that officials have determined there was no cluster in Sunset Park after the initial scare.
'What we know so far, thank God - limited community spread and not a cluster situation in Sunset Park,' de Blasio said.
'We do not have a cluster situation. We do see individual households with specific problems.'
He had announced last week that officials would be door-knocking or phoning every single one of the 38,000 households in that neighborhood to determine if the uptick in COVID-19 cases was a cluster.
De Blasio said officials had planed to 'saturate' the neighborhood from Wednesday to encourage as many residents as possible to get tested.
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