New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Monday his state will begin reopening several upstate regions on May 15, marking what he described as an “exciting new phase” of the Chinese coronavirus recovery.
Cuomo’s “Pause” order, which shut down all nonessential businesses, will expire on Friday, allowing officials in ten New York regions to decide on how to get their areas up and running again.
“A new chapter starts today,” the governor said in a press briefing in Rochester. “This is the next big step of this historic journey. We’re on the other side of the mountain. It’s an exciting new phase, we’re all anxious to get back to work.”
Several of New York’s upstate regions, including the Finger Lakes region around Rochester, will partly reopen this weekend. The relaxation will allow for limited amounts of manufacturing, construction, and curbside retail. Recreational outdoor activities and low-risk business like landscaping, gardening, and drive-in movie theaters will also be allowed.
Earlier Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said key figures continued to decline. As of Friday, the latest data available, hospitalizations fell to 55 people, and the number of individuals in intensive care dropped to 537, he said.
De Blasio also announced an initiative to supply 1,000 community clinics with protective equipment, and said schools are on track to be open for the next academic year in September.
The UPI contributed to this report.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.