Cuomo: Parts of Erie County On Track to Becoming a Red Zone

It was a warning that people in Western New York did not want to hear on Monday.

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Governor Andrew Cuomo held a press conference on Monday afternoon, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic across the state and in regards to the Western New York region, the Governor said parts of Erie County are on pace to be upgraded from an orange zone to a red zone, according to WGRZ.

According to the graphic that Governor Cuomo showed during the press conference, it was "Buffalo and the surrounding towns."

The highest infection rate in the state continues to be Lancaster, which was at 9.68 percent on Sunday.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says that if a region is upgraded or downgraded to a specific zone, that those determinations are made on Wednesdays by the state, after reviewing data on Monday and Tuesday.

"What we are seeing is the state will be analyzing the data Monday and Tuesday and will make an announcement on Wednesday," said Poloncarz. The state will be looking at if there are changes after a full week's worth of data under the new restrictions to make that decision.

Here is what a rez zone means.

• Houses of worship at 25 percent capacity.
• Essential businesses only allowed to open.
• No mass gatherings.
• Restaurants only can offer curbside pickup and takeout.
• Schools are remote learning only.

Read more here.