This State Could Shut Down Due to the New COVID Strain, Governor Says By Sarah Crow of Best Life | This State Could Shut Down Due to the New COVID Strain, Governor Says With two new highly contagious strains of COVID recently identified—the U.K. strain and the South African strain—the U.S. is on high alert for a surge in new infections. However, officials in one state— New York—say it's particularly susceptible to a shutdown if the U.K. COVID strain spreads quickly. Read on to discover what the state's leadership has to say about how long New York could be shut down due to COVID in the near future. And for more insight into where the virus is surging, check out This Is How Bad the COVID Outbreak Is in Your State.