In spite of ongoing prevention measures, NYC mayor warns of 'very worrisome' COVID trends

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio this week warned that COVID-19 trends in the city are "very worrisome," even after several months of aggressive mitigation measures in the onetime U.S. coronavirus hotspot. 

"This is our last chance right now to stop a second wave," de Blasio said during a Tuesday press conference. "If we aren't able to stop it, there will clearly be lots of consequences that will remind us too much of where we were before."

Average daily new cases have hovered around 650-800 over the last week, a trend de Blasio called "of tremendous concern." 

The New York City rise in cases, which occurs as the U.S. has recorded increasing numbers of positive COVID-19 test results, comes after months of aggressive mitigation measures in the city, which was once the hotspot of the United States. 

Masks are mandatory in virtually every public part of the city. Restaurants are allowed to seat only 25% of their full capacity, with restaurants required to check customers' temperatures and seat them at least six feet apart from others. 

Social gatherings are limited to 50 or fewer people; religious services must cap attendance at 33%. Stricter restrictions are in place for "micro-clusters" of localized outbreaks. 

Though businesses are already significantly limited in how they can operate, de Blasio said on Tuesday that a continued rise in cases will generate "real concern about whether we can continue to have businesses open on the same scale they're open now."

"You could see restrictions in certain industries. You could see full-scale closures. You could see limits on hours. All of those things are possible," he said.