Coronavirus updates: 84% of California population to go on lockdown Sunday night

The American Academy of Pediatrics is advising children playing sports to mask up while doing so as part of new COVID-19 recommendations.

"Proper and consistent use of a cloth face mask is especially important right now as so many athletes move indoors for sports during the colder months," Dr. Susannah Briskin, author of the guidance and a pediatric sports medicine specialist, said in a statement. "While regular exercise is important for our kids' mental and physical well-being, we must do everything we can to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread."

Many schools, still taking place remotely, have canceled or postponed sports seasons. But others have decided to go through with their regular seasons.

The AAP specifically said face coverings were "strongly encouraged" for indoor sports, such as ice hockey.

"The risks and benefits of indoor sports, as well as community prevalence of COVID-19 should be carefully considered when making decisions about continuing or resuming indoor sports," the AAP writes in its guidelines.

The recommendations also specify sports during which masks should not be worn, such as gymnastics due to the risk of them getting caught in apparatus, and wrestling, where they could become a "choking hazard." It also specifies swimmers and divers should not wear them and outdoor socially distanced sports, like golf, may not need them.

The number of COVID-19 deaths has gone up in 48 states and Washington, D.C., from two weeks ago, The COVID Tracking Project said Friday.

There were 2,563 deaths reported on Friday, it said.

There were 224,831 daily new cases reported and 101,276 current hospitalizations -- both new highs -- according to the tracker. 

Hospitalizations are up in 34 states and Washington, D.C., from two weeks ago, it said.

New York state reported 11,271 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday -- the highest daily figure the state has seen since mid-April, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday.

New York's daily positivity rate stands at 5.41%.

New York has the fourth-lowest infection rate in the country behind Maine, Vermont and Hawaii.

Over 70% of cases are coming from small gatherings, Cuomo said, and he called on local governments to enforce restrictions.

Cuomo said that the focus should be on the hospitalization rate rather than the infection rate.

New York has 4,222 COVID-19 patients in hospitals. The state has 53,000 hospital beds, of which 35,000 are occupied, he said.

Intensive care units have about 40% of their beds available, he said.

-ABC News' Josh Hoyos and Jamie Aranoff

Much of the San Francisco Bay Area will soon be under a stay-at-home order.

The order ends indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants, closes hair salons and other personal care services, and prohibits all private gatherings, ABC San Francisco station KGO reported.

The stay-at-home order covers Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Francisco counties as well as the city of Berkeley, KGO said.

Most areas will start the stay-at-home order Sunday; Alameda County will start Monday while Marin County will begin Tuesday. The restrictions will last until Jan. 4.

Gov. Gavin Newsom had announced Thursday that a stay-at-home order will go into effect in any region where the ICU capacity falls below 15%. Bay Area officials said they didn't want to wait until numbers fell to 15%, KGO reported.