Hudson Valley, Long Island on Track to Start Phase 1 Reopening
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the federal government must provide hazard pay to frontline workers.
On Memorial Day from the USS Intrepid, Cuomo said like we honor our veterans we only the many American's who lost their life to COVID-19 and honor the front-line "heroes" battling the virus.
He announced each local government across New York is required to provide death benefits to the families of "public heroes" who died from COVID-19. He also called on the federal government to provide hazard pay to frontline workers.
"I am calling on the federal government to provide dedicated funding for hazard pay for frontline workers," Cuomo said. "They have earned it by showing up and risking their health and lives for all of us."
Cuomo announced hospitalizations, intubations and COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to drop statewide. He confirmed 96 Empire State residents died from the virus on Sunday.
Live Updates: Coronavirus in the Hudson Valley
On Friday, Cuomo said the Mid-Hudson and Long Island regions are on track to start the four-phased reopening process "this week."
On Saturday, he announced Mid-Hudson Region is on track to reopen on Tuesday and Long Island on Wednesday.
On Memorial Day, Cuomo said those regions are still on track to reopen if deaths continue to decline. Both regions have been training contact tracers during the Memorial Day Weekend.
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.
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.
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.