Coronavirus Updates for Nov. 29: Over 540 New Cases, Additional Deaths Reported in Westchester County

Cases of the coronavirus increased by 544 in Westchester County on Saturday, bringing the total number of positive cases to 49,646 since the start of the pandemic.

The county reported two more deaths, resulting in a total of 1,514 COVID-19-releated fatalities since March. Westchester accounted for 15 deaths this week, state data shows, a trend that County Executive George Latimer previously said doesn’t seem to be slowing.

Westchester now has 5,553 active cases, with the daily positive infection rate 5.04 percent, according to the state tracker.

Testing reached an all-time high during the Thanksgiving holiday, with 35,398 COVID-19 tests administered over the last three days. Overall, more than 1 million tests have been given since March, with 10,790 individuals tested on Saturday, state data shows.

Hospitalizations have more than tripled over the last three weeks, with the county reporting 198 individuals hospitalized, as of Wednesday. The county has about 3,100 hospital beds, according to Latimer.

Putnam County’s total caseload has reached 2,731, according to the state, with 49 additional positive cases accounted for on Saturday. The county’s daily positivity rate is 6.44 percent, state data shows, with 570 active cases recorded.

There have been 64 coronavirus-related cases in Putnam. No new deaths were reported on Saturday.

Statewide there were 6,063 new positive cases on Saturday, with the daily positivity rate now 3.98 percent. That state recorded 42 additional COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the death tolls to 26,625 since March, state data shows.

Total hospitalizations are at 3,287, an increase of 184 over the previous day, according to state data. Across the state there has been a total of 634,438 positive coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

Here are the latest updates on Nov. 29

With coronavirus cases rapidly rising statewide, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday that despite New York having one of the lowest infection rates and highest testing capacity in the nation, it will take vigilance this holiday season to follow all safety precautions to prevent a surge.

“We are entering a challenging period of sustained COVID-19 spread across this state,” Cuomo said. “It’s up to you, your neighborhood and your community to slow the spread. Our micro-cluster strategy can target very small areas with restrictions, so the actions each of us take and the actions our neighbors take may seem small, but they make a big difference.”

The micro-cluster strategy is a three-tiered, color-coded system that implements more restrictions on areas with high COVID-19 infection rates, with yellow the lowest label and red the highest.

Currently, portions of Ossining, Peekskill, Tarrytown, New Rochelle, and Yonkers are currently in a yellow zone. Port Chester is currently designated an orange zone, though Cuomo said earlier this week each municipality labeled in Westchester is on the warning track to increase a zone.

In Putnam County, Cuomo said Brewster could soon be a yellow zone.

School News & Business Closures 

School

• Peekskill City School District will close and shift to virtual learning through Jan. 4.
• Somers Middle School will switch Grade 6 to fully remote learning on Nov. 30.
• Primrose Elementary School will move Grade 2 to remote instruction Nov. 30 to Dec. 2
• Ossining Union Free School District will be fully remote Monday and Tuesday, with Ossining High School and Anne M. Dorner Middle School remote on Wednesday.
• Somers Intermediate School will provide remote learning for Grade 5 through Dec. 7 due to a number of teachers and staff in quarantine.
• Kent Primary School will be fully remote through Dec. 8.
• Lakeland High School will be fully remote through Dec. 4.
• The City School District of New Rochelle is going all-virtual, except for a cohort of special education students, until Dec. 3

Business

• Mt. Kisco Seafood will remain closed through Thanksgiving with plans to reopen in December.

Putnam County COVID-19 Health Advisories

Here are the latest health advisories issued by the Putnam County Department of Health. Those who worked at or visited these businesses on these dates and times are being asked to monitor their symptoms after members of the public tested positive for COVID-19.

• Ministerio Internacional Campamento De Jehova at 407 Route 6 in Mahopac on Nov. 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The advisory will expire on Nov. 30.

Westchester Active Coronavirus Cases by Municipality 

Here are the active cases by municipality in Westchester as of Wednesday. With a lag between the total number of cases confirmed by the state and the tally of cases by town, the total number of municipal cases might be slightly different than what the county’s active cases reflects.

• Ardsley – 7
• Bedford – 91
• Briarcliff Manor – 32
• Bronxville – 15
• Buchanan – 8
• Cortlandt – 116
• Croton-on-Hudson – 26
• Dobbs Ferry – 41
• Eastchester – 88
• Elmsford – 25
• Greenburgh – 157
• Harrison – 118
• Hastings-on-Hudson – 17
• Irvington – 14
• Larchmont – 11
• Lewisboro – 48
• Mamaroneck Town – 32
• Mamaroneck Village – 107
• Mount Kisco – 80
• Mount Pleasant – 67
• Mount Vernon – 276
• New Castle – 50
• New Rochelle – 431
• North Castle – 49
• North Salem – 31
• Ossining Town – 25
• Ossining Village – 245
• Peekskill – 169
• Pelham – 22
• Pelham Manor – 18
• Pleasantville – 34
• Port Chester – 257
• Pound Ridge – 11
• Rye Brook – 55
• Rye City – 58
• Scarsdale – 31
• Sleepy Hollow – 102
• Somers – 89
• Tarrytown – 42
• Tuckahoe – 28
• White Plains – 211
• Yonkers – 785
• Yorktown – 180

If your business or school district may have been exposed to COVID-19, please email ayoung@theexaminernews.com to be placed on our daily COVID-19 list.