Regional Approach

Today at a press conference organized by Governor Cuomo and the Governors of NJ, CT, PA, DE and RI, they announced a working group consisting of three representatives of each state (an economic development advisor, healthcare advisor and each Governor’s Chief of Staff) to formulate guidelines for a regional plan to reopen the economy.  The working group is set to begin meeting as early as tomorrow.  Beyond announcing formation of the working group, no details were provided in terms of the substance of what such plan would look like. 

Next steps for New York

When looking at the reopening of New York State for business, Governor Cuomo listed five points that must be considered:

  1. The reopening plan must be designed by experts in public health and economic development
  2. Regional Design – work in conjunction with the surrounding Northeastern States located along the I-95 commuter corridor.
  3. Since each part of the State acts as a gear in a machine, all sectors must start to turn together, including key infrastructure, such as transportation, schools, etc…
  4. Continued and additional federal financial support will be required.
  5. The continued Pause precautions and testing must happen to prevent a resurgence in the spread of COVID-19.

New York State COVID-19 Plateau

Governor Cuomo announced today that due to the number of COVID-related cases in the past few days, the State of New York can now be considered to be on a plateau.  He also said with the continuation of the “New York State on PAUSE” program, “The worst could be over”. 

Executive Order 202.16

The Executive Order announced yesterday was formally published today, and highlights, among other things, two points in particular:

  1. Effective Wednesday, April 15 at 8pm – For all essential businesses or entities, any employees who are present in the workplace shall be provided and shall wear face coverings when in direct contact with customers or members of the public. Businesses must provide, at their expense, such face coverings for their employees.
  2. Expands the pool of individuals authorized to conduct antibody testing.

COVID-19 Numbers

As of today, 195,031 people have tested positive in New York State.  The number of deaths in the State has increased to 10,056 from 9,385.