Cuomo: Hudson Valley, Long Island Will Reopen in Days
The Mid-Hudson and Long Island regions are expected to reopen in a few days.
On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the Mid-Hudson and Long Island regions are on track to start the four-phased reopening process "this week."
On Saturday which he marked as "day 84" of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York State, he said the Mid-Hudson Region should start to reopen on Tuesday.
Cuomo said the issue holding the region back is contact tracers. He said they have identified enough contact tracers who must be trained before the Hudson Valley can start to reopen.
The job of a contract tracer is to reach out to the contacts of anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 to assess symptoms, ensure compliance with quarantine and determine social support needs. The region is actively looking for more contract tracers.
He said he spoke with the county executives across the Hudson Valley and the contact tracers will be trained during Memorial Day Weekend which will allow the region to start Phase 1 on Tuesday.
Late Friday, In what some say is a "shocking" move, Cuomo updated an executive order which now allows New Yorkers to legally gather in small groups.
Cuomo said Long Island is on pace to reopen on Wednesday. If all goes to New York City will be on the only region that hasn't started the four-phased reopening process.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said early this week he thinks the city can start to reopen between June 1 and June 15.
Based on CDC recommendations, Cuomo laid out seven benchmarks regions must meet to reopen, including hospital capacity, daily deaths and new infections.
Under his plan, a region can start Phase 1 of the reopening process if all seven metrics are hit. Phase 1 includes the reopening of construction, manufacturing, retail with curbside pickup, wholesale trade, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting.
Cuomo announced on Friday Phase 1 "construction staging" can start now in the Mid-Hudson and Long Island regions.
On Saturday, Cuomo said although there is no official timeline set for how long a phase will last, each phase will likely take two weeks.
Phase 2 is retail, real estate, and finance. Phase 3 will allow restaurants and hotels to reopen. And Phase 4 includes entertainment venues and schools.