New York hospitals must expand capacity by 25%, Cuomo orders

Gov. Andrew Cuomo had the New York State Department of Health mandate that hospitals in the state expand bed capacity by 25 percent Dec. 7.

Mr. Cuomo also asked retired physicians and nurses in the state to return to service if they're able to.

The actions come in response to rising hospitalization rates in the upper counties in the state. New York uses a color-coded system to denote counties at risk. Several upstate counties risk entering a red zone. If a region's seven-day average hospitalization growth rate shows the region will hit 90 percent utilization in the next three weeks, the region will become a red zone.

The red zone designation shuts down the region except for essential businesses. Mr. Cuomo said, "If our hospital capacity becomes critical, we're going to close down that region, period."

The state is also monitoring hospital capacity in relation to indoor dining restrictions. If capacity utilization continues to increase, indoor dining will be shut down in New York City and limited to 25 percent capacity elsewhere.

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