ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Monroe County’s COVID-19 yellow zone seven-day rolling average positivity rate is 4.12%, according to an update from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office Friday.
That rolling average was down from 4.39% the day prior. The seven-day rolling average positivity rate is an important benchmark for future zone designations.
According to the New York state guidelines, microclusters are reevaluated 14 days after an initial determination. Monroe County’s yellow cluster was declared last Monday and brought about new rules and restrictions for schools, dining, religious worship, gatherings, and more.
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The seven-day rolling averages since the yellow zone designation were as follows:
- November 9 — 4.81%
- November 10 — 5.09%
- November 11 — 5.18%
- November 12 — 5.28%
- November 13 — 5.27%
- November 14 — 5.54%
- November 15 — 5.30%
- November 16 — 5.13%
- November 17 — 4.74%
- November 18 — 4.39%
- November 19 — 4.12%
For those following the Monroe County COVID-19 dashboard’s daily updates, you’ll notice the state’s seven-day rolling averages above are slightly higher. That is because the Monroe County dashboard is the countywide data, while the state’s reports are specifically for the yellow zone micro-cluster (which impacts most of Monroe County, but not all of it).
The current yellow zone restrictions will be in effect for municipalities, not zip codes. The impacted areas are:
- City of Rochester
- Irondequoit
- Greece
- Webster
- Penfield
- Perinton
- East Rochester
- Pittsford
- Brighton
- Henrietta
- Chili
- Gates
To qualify for orange zone designation, Monroe County would have to meet the following benchmarks:
- Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 4% for 10 days AND
- Geographic area has 12 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average
By being under 4%, Monroe County’s yellow zone resets its criteria for an orange zone upgrade. According to the governor’s office, orange zone restrictions would include:
- Closing high-risk non-essential businesses (gyms, personal care, etc).
- Schools move to remote-only instruction model
- Outdoor dining only, four people maximum per table
- 33% capacity for religious worship capacity, 25 people maximum
Check back with News 8 WROC as we will continue to update this developing story.
