NY PAUSE—Governor Cuomo’s “lockdown” to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in New York State—will end this Friday, May 15. It will not be extended.
However, that doesn’t mean that every part of the state can begin reopening then.
As a reminder, the Governor set seven requirements that each region of New York must meet to begin the reopening process: a 14-day decline in hospitalizations, a 14-day decline in hospital deaths, a three day rolling average of new hospitalizations under 2 per 100,000 residents, 30% of total hospital beds made available, 30% of ICU beds available, 30 per 1,000 residents tested monthly, and at least 30 contact tracers per 100,000 residents.
Areas that can begin reopening on May 15 (they meet 7/7 requirements) include:
- The Finger Lakes
- Mohawk Valley
- Southern Tier
There are a few other regions that are very close, like Central New York, which meets 6/7.
As for NYC? According to the chart from today, May 11, we’re up to 4/7. You can see the full chart here:
Of course, once we do meet those requirements, the reopening will be conducted in phases, starting with manufacturing/construction/and retail curbside pick-up. You can read more details about those phases here.
Though the Governor didn’t clarify how much time would pass between phases (previously he had said two weeks), he used his favorite valve metaphor, saying we are “slowly opening the valve, and then we will see the metrics and the numbers.”
He also announced today (May 11) that each region now has a dedicated “regional control group” that will monitor those metrics (hospitalization rates, infection rates, etc.) during each phase and different qualifications will be made based upon them.
“As fast as you can reopen, reopen,” he said, “Just watch the dials.” As for those businesses reopening during the phases, they must meet certain safety requirements (face masks, six feet spaces, etc.) that must approved by region, based on state conditions (and local governments can make additional conditions). You can read those conditions here.
In each region there will be a Regional Control Room that will closely monitor progress and act as a circuit breaker ready to step in.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 11, 2020
Of course he emphasized that New Yorkers should still be following safety measures like face masks, limiting time outdoors, etc.
“Be smart. This is not the floodgates are open, go back to normal,” he said. “No one is going to protect your health better than you.”
featured image source: Shutterstock