Amid Ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo announces Fourth Region Hits Benchmark to Begin Reopening May 15th
North Country Joins Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions, Which Have Met the Seven Metrics Required to Begin Reopening After NYS on Pause Orders Expire on May 15th
Regional Monitoring Dashboard Showing How Many Metrics Each Region Has Met to Reopen is Available Here
Results of Antibody Testing Survey of 2,750 Members of the NYS Police Show 3.1 Percent Have COVID-19 Antibodies
Results of Antibody Testing Survey of Approximately 3,000 Members of the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Show 7.5 Percent Have COVID-19 Antibodies
Confirms 2,176 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State – Bringing Statewide Total to 340,661; New Cases in 47 Counties
Governor Cuomo: “We are doing the most transparent discussion and reopening operation of any state. Why? Because it only works if people understand it and if people are part of it. This is not a government exercise that we’re doing here. This is a social exercise. The 19 million people of New York State are doing this and the best I can do is give them the information. … This is a function of the actions of every individual and every family.”
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, earlier today Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that as of today, the North Country has met all seven metrics required to begin phase one of the state’s regional phased reopening plan when NYS on PAUSE orders expire on May 15th, joining the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions. If the trend continues, these four regions can begin opening businesses for phase one, which includes construction; manufacturing and wholesale supply chain; retail for curbside pickup and drop-off or in-store pickup; and agriculture, forestry and fishing. The Central New York region has met six of the seven metrics and could potentially be ready at the end of the week. A guide to the state’s “NY Forward Reopening” Plan is available here. The state’s regional monitoring dashboard is available here.
The Governor also announced the results of the state’s antibody testing survey of 2,750 members of the New York State Police Show 3.1 percent of the members have COVID-19 antibodies. Additionally, results of the state’s antibody testing survey of approximately 3,000 members of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision show 7.5 percent of members have COVID-19 antibodies. These results are compared to 12.3 percent of the general population in Upstate New York that tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies.
“As the numbers continue to decline and we are coming down the other side of the mountain, a lot of attention is now on reopening,” Governor Cuomo said. “We’re doing something in this state that no other state is doing – we are having a transparent discussion about the reopening operations because it only works if people understand it and are part of it. New Yorkers will know exactly what is happening in their region and in their county on a daily basis, and the state will continue to monitor these metrics to determine when regions are ready to reopen and if we need to adjust the reopening plans. Four regions have now met all seven metrics required to begin reopening, and we will continue to keep New Yorkers informed as this process goes forward.”