evidence: If Your Time is short • A look at the data from the end of March to mid-May confirms that the per capita infection rate in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties was typically in the bottom one-third of counties in the state. [...] "While infection rates in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties have consistently been among the lowest in the state throughout the COVID-19 crisis, our linkage with Erie County and its higher infection rates means that we don’t meet the metrics for reopening, and our hurting, rural economies must remain shut down for at least another two weeks," Borrello said in the statement. [...] We found that, as Borrello had said, Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties ranked low in infection rates consistently over that period, while Erie and Niagara started higher and continued to rise: