Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Coronavirus Updates: For A Month Straight, New York's Infection Rate Stays Below 1%
By
Jen Chung
and
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 7, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
John Minchillo/AP/Shutterstock
By
Jen Chung
and
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 7, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This is our daily update of breaking COVID-19 news for Monday, September 7th, 2020. Previous daily updates can be found here, and up-to-date statistics are here.
New York City is in Phase 4 of reopening now, which includes zoos, botanical gardens, museums, and gyms. A look at preparing for the spread of coronavirus is here, and if you have lingering questions about the virus, here is our regularly updated coronavirus FAQ. Here are some local and state hotlines for more information: NYC: 311; NY State Hotline: 888-364-3065; NJ State Hotline: 800-222-1222.
Here's the latest:
- Should The Rangers' Playoff Game In Toronto Have Triggered The End of MSG's $555 Million Tax Break?
- Bay Ridge Couple Forced Off NYC Ferry In Handcuffs Over Refusal To Wear Masks
- SUNY Unveils COVID Tracker
On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York State's infection rate has remained below 1% for 31 straight days.
58,865 test results were reported on Sunday, and 520, or 0.88 percent, of those were positive, according to a release from the governor's office.
Two people died of coronavirus yesterday. More than 32,000 have died of COVID-19 in New York since the pandemic began, far more than any other state in the country.
"Our numbers have continued to remain stable even as we reach new milestones in our phased, data-driven reopening," Cuomo said in a release. "As we close out this Labor Day Weekend, I urge everyone to remain smart so we can continue to celebrate our progress in the weeks and months ahead."
According to the release, New York City's positivity rate—0.8% on Sunday—is lower than the rate in Western New York (1.9%).
As Gothamist/WNYC reported on Saturday, New York's positivity rate figures may be artificially low because of the sample of people getting tested.
"To get a real picture, you’d need a much more random sample of people – people from different areas, people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds, people with different income levels, and so on," said Dr. Irwin Redlener, a professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
The NFL Season Will Begin With Fewer Fans And Uneven Mask Guidance
10:30 a.m. As the National Basketball Association playoffs continue in the bubble, the professional football season will begin on Thursday. The National Football League, the most successful professional sports league will kick off the 2020 season with the Houston Texans against the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, at the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs, along with a few other teams, are allowing fans to watch games, though with limited capacity. The Chiefs, for instance, are capping attendance at 22% and requiring attendees to wear masks; tailgating is also allowed, with physical distancing, but mask-wearing is only encouraged. Players and team personnel will be tested for COVID-19 daily, except on game days.
In New York, no fans will be allowed at Giants and Jets games at MetLife Stadium or Buffalo Bills games at Bills Stadium. The Giants will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night at MetLife, while the Jets and Bills are facing off on Sunday in Buffalo, where players on the sidelines must wear masks.
The mask guidance is not uniform across the NFL, just like it's uneven across the United States. According to the Washington Post, "Players on the sideline 'not actively engaged in play' must wear masks during games at San Francisco and Buffalo, under state and local regulations. Mask-wearing by players on the sideline is 'strongly recommended but not required' in other cities, the protocols say."
Arrowhead Stadium is in Missouri, which is one of the states that public health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Health, are worried about surging coronavirus cases. The stadium's capacity is just under 77,000, so nearly 17,000 fans will be allowed to see the Chiefs play.
"These stadiums are massive, so 20-30% is often in the tens to 20,000 people,” Lucia Mullen, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, told the AP. “That’s larger than we’ve had really to date in most venues right now. And we know this virus, it’s very capable of spreading within people quite quickly. And so with just that small amount of people, if it’s allowed to spread, it could reach huge numbers in a community."
Among other recently released COVID guidelines for the 2020 season, the NFL is only allowing one masked player from each team to participate in a pregame coin-toss.
Tagged
nfl
COVID-19
covid-19 updates
coronavirus
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NY unemployment recipients brace for delays during system upgrade
The shutdown is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on Monday and last for nine to 12 days.
By
Jon Campbell
and
Carol Chen
Published Oct 30, 2026 at 12:59 p.m. ET
Influential Brooklyn developer illegally raised rents despite tax break, lawsuit claims
The lawsuit targets the leasing practices of the company Two Trees, which recently received a special carveout in the New York state budget.
By
David Brand
News
Influential Brooklyn developer illegally raised rents despite tax break, lawsuit claims
The lawsuit targets the leasing practices of the company Two Trees, which recently received a special carveout in the New York state budget.
By
David Brand
Democrats' early voting lead in NJ keeps growing ahead of Election Day
By
Mike Hayes
Early Addition: Is Harry running?
By
James Ramsay
NYC Council takes key step toward Mamdani's promised Department of Community Safety
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .