Photo Courtesy of JFK
The drug-trafficking organization allegedly imported multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine into the U.S. through a variety of means, including by sending drug couriers on flights to the U.S. via John F. Kennedy International Airport.
By Michael V. Cusenza
On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced updated COVID-19 micro-cluster focus areas in New York.
Based on data metrics, including testing results and hospitalization rates, Queens—Far Rockaway’s yellow zone has been removed. The focus zone in Kew Gardens/Forest Hills will not change, Cuomo added.
“In general, downstate New York is doing better than Upstate New York, which is a total reversal from the first phase of COVID, where it was primarily a downstate problem and Upstate New York said oh, this is not a problem, this is not a problem. It’s a total reversal,” the governor said. “If you look at the numbers, Queens, the micro-cluster approach is working. We had two micro-clusters in Queens. We had one in Far Rockaway, and that micro-cluster is going to be extinguished as of today, because the numbers were under control, the micro-cluster worked, and the micro-cluster for Far Rockaway is being terminated. The micro-cluster in Queens in the Kew Gardens area is unchanged. The Brooklyn micro-cluster, the red zone, is working, and it’s working well, and we’re going to reduce the size of the red zone by 50 percent. And we’ll put out a map today that shows the exact parameters of that reduction, but it’s a reduction of 50 percent and the yellow zone is also reduced 50 percent. So it’s working in Queens, it’s working in Brooklyn.
“When I said there’s a different picture across the State,” Cuomo continued, “individual actions matter: Orange, congratulations; Rockland, congratulations; Queens, congratulations; Brooklyn, congratulations. Long Island, good news. Southern Tier, good news. North Country, good news. Mohawk Valley, good news. Erie, Monroe, Onondaga—not good news. So that’s that.”
The governor said several aspects of attacking the virus still worry him.
“Number One, we’re worried about the holiday season,” he said. “We’re worried about behavior in the State, we’re worried about behavior out of the State. I’ve cautioned before, people should beware of small gatherings this year. I’ve said that we have a very strict quarantine policy in place for the holiday weekend travel, period. We’re going to be increasing enforcement personnel at the New York airports. You should not land if you do not have proof of a negative test upon landing. You’re supposed to take a test where you’re coming from within three days and it is supposed to show a negative test. I’m increasing the National Guard. I spoke to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio about increasing the New York Police Department at the airports, but I want people to know we’re serious.
“Second: colleges, which have been highly problematic,” Cuomo continued, “SUNY is going to send kids home for the Thanksgiving break. They’re going to do what’s called exit testing, another new concept. They’re going to test every student on the way out so students that are infected will know where they’re going and what to do and how to get there. SUNY is also going to cancel the return from the Thanksgiving break and do remote learning for the rest of the semester which takes us to about February and then we’ll figure out in February what we do.”
