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Three New York regions cleared for coronavirus reopening by week’s end
By Bernadette Hogan and Aaron Feis May 11, 2020 | 12:49pm
(Hey Gmenfan. Hope this includes you.)

Three New York state regions have met the criteria to reopen from their coronavirus-induced shutdowns, a process that can begin by week’s end, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

The Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier have all ticked off the seven boxes — measuring hospitalizations and available beds, as well as testing and tracing capacities — and can start to reopen once the statewide PAUSE order expires.

The shutdown mandate officially runs through May 15, but has effectively been extended through June 7 for regions yet to meet the reopening criteria.

However, “Some regions are ready to go today,” said Cuomo, in a press briefing at Rochester Regional Health’s Riedman Campus Training Center in Irondequoit, NY. “They just need to get some logistical pieces in order by the end of the week.”

Construction, manufacturing, wholesalers and retail businesses offering curbside pickup will be among the first sectors to come back online, the governor has said.

Cuomo on Monday cleared a handful of other businesses for that first phase, including landscaping, gardening, drive-in movie theaters and low-risk recreational venues, including tennis courts.

Other businesses with greater potential for contact, such as sit-down service in restaurants and bars, will only come back after an evaluation period to make sure the disease isn’t mounting a comeback of its own.

“It will be determined by the facts and the numbers as you go along,” said Cuomo, referring to the transition to the second phase.

Another two of the state’s 10 distinct regions are on the goal-line, having met six of the seven criteria.

Both Central New York and the North Country can reopen once they have at least 30 tests for every 1,000 residents available per month.

New York City — which Mayor Bill de Blasio said earlier Monday could possibly start to return to life in June — remains the farthest off region, with four of the seven boxes ticked.

The Big Apple’s rate of new hospitalizations, as well as the number of available hospital beds and ICU beds, remain short of the state-mandated thresholds.

Cuomo announced the first wave of reopenings as the number of daily deaths took a pronounced dive.

A total of 161 confirmed coronavirus fatalities were reported in the 24-hour period ending at midnight Monday, down from 207 the day before, and the lowest number since 138 were tallied on March 26.

All told, 21,639 confirmed deaths have now been reported statewide.

“The number of lives lost [is] still too high, obviously, at 161, but better than it has been,” said Cuomo. “We see all the arrows are pointed in the right direction.”

https://nypost.com/2020/05/11/3-new-york-regions-cleared-for-coronavirus-reopening-by-weeks-end/