Mr. Cuomo reported 166 new virus-related deaths, the third straight day the figure was under 200.
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The number of new hospitalizations statewide has also continued to stay at the levels that preceded Mr. Cuomo’s statewide stay-at-home orders. The governor reported 416 new virus-related hospitalizations and 2,176 new confirmed cases.
A fourth region of upstate New York has now met the criteria to start gradually reopening, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Wednesday.
The North Country, the sparsely populated northern region of the state that includes the Adirondack Mountains, has now achieved the seven benchmarks required to partially reopen construction, manufacturing and curbside retail by Friday.
NY state announced : Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today 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.”
