NY to local governments: Enforce virus rules or face fines

NEW YORK (AP) — New York state’s daily count of new coronavirus cases topped 1,500 for the first time since late May as Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned local governments Friday that they'll face fines if they don’t enforce social distancing and mask rules.

Officials are increasingly concerned about virus flare-ups in some places, mainly parts of New York City and suburban Rockland and Orange counties. Although an often-cited measure of the virus' spread — the percentage of tests that come back positive — was about 1.3% statewide on Thursday, it was 6.4% in a group of 20 ZIP codes under scrutiny, Cuomo said. And the raw number of new cases reported statewide on Thursday hit 1,598, the most since May 27, when about 65,000 New Yorkers were tested, compared to 119,000 on Thursday.

“The hot spots are a significant problem,” Cuomo said Friday in a conference call with reporters, and "compliance is not where it needs to be.”

The Democratic governor has complained for days that local governments haven't been cracking down enough on violations of state virus safety regulations. He ratcheted up pressure Friday by saying the state health commissioner would tell local officials in hot spots that they have to step up enforcement and can be fined up to $10,000 a day if their efforts are found wanting.

New York City said it had inspected nearly 1,000 businesses in the last three days.

“We’re enforcing guidelines with the speed and rigor this crisis demands – not because we fear fines, but because we know our measures will help combat this crisis,” mayoral spokesman Mitch Schwartz said in a statement.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday he was dispatching hundreds of city workers to the zones of concern to hand out masks and issue fines if people refused to put them...