More than $150K in fines issued in NYC

City locks down hot zones, tickets at least five places of worship

NEW YORK— Authorities cracked down this weekend on some of the city’s coronavirus hot spots, issuing more than 60 summonses and tens of thousands of dollars in fines to people, businesses and houses of worship that did not follow newly imposed restrictions on gatherings or mask-wearing and physical distancing requirements.

Among those issued a summons by the New York City sheriff were a restaurant and at least five houses of worship in the city’s “red zones,” where coronavirus infection rates are the highest. Each of those locations was given a summons that could result in up to $15,000 (U.S.) in fines, said Sheriff Joseph Fucito.

In total, officials issued 62 tickets and more than $150,000 in fines during the first weekend the new restrictions were in effect, the New York City government Twitter account said Sunday.

The city is wrestling with its most acute pandemic crisis since the virus first swept through the five boroughs in March. Since mid-August, city and state officials say large gatherings and lax physical distancing have caused a surge in new cases in pockets of Brooklyn and Queens. The spike prompted Gov. Andrew Cuomo to issue new restrictions on large gatherings and non-essential businesses in certain parts of the city.

The moment has set an already anxious city on edge, particularly as doctors, experts and health officials express growing concern about a second wave of the virus this winter. It has also underscored the challenges city officials will face as they try to quash emerging hot spots in small communities before the virus can spread into the rest of the city.

Some religious leaders expressed staunch opposition last week when Cuomo announced a new executive order as case numbers continued climbing in pockets of Brooklyn and Queens that are home to large populations of Orthodox Jews. The Orthodox Jewish community was devastated by the coronavirus in the spring, when local officials and ultra-Orthodox news organizations said hundreds of people might have died, including beloved religious leaders.

The new restrictions are the most significant setback yet in the city’s recovery, rolling back some of the successful reopenings that much of New York has embraced since the most restrictive early days of the pandemic this spring.

According to Cuomo’s executive order, in neighbourhoods with the highest infection rates — or “red zones” — houses of worship are limited to 25 per cent capacity or a maximum of 10 people. Elsewhere, where rates are lower but still alarming, “orange zones” are limited to 33 per cent capacity and “yellow zones” to 50 per cent capacity. While the positivity rate in the state’s 20 “red zone” neighbourhoods was 5.7 per cent, the positivity rate across the rest of New York state was less than 1 per cent, with those clusters excluded.

A national Orthodox organization filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of the new rules. But Friday, a federal court ruled the new state rules could move forward, citing officials’ responsibility to keep “all New Yorkers” safe. “How can we ignore the compelling state interest in protecting the health and life of all New Yorkers?” said Judge Kiyo Matsumoto of Federal District Court in Brooklyn.