Five Upstate Regions Approved for Phase I Reopening Tomorrow
Central New York has become the fifth region in New York State that will begin its Phase I reopening tomorrow, May 15 at 12:01am (joining the North Country, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, and Southern Tier regions).
Governor Cuomo today emphasized that local governments will be in charge of managing the phased-in economic reopening process, which must include a daily monitoring of COVID-19 metrics that the State is posting online. Businesses’ and individuals’ compliance with State directives also will be enforced by local authorities. The Governor stated that specific questions should be directed to the appropriate “regional control room,” whose membership can be found here.
COVID-Related Illness in Children
The NYS Department of Health (DOH) continues to investigate what may be a rare, COVID-related illness in children. The Governor today announced that New York has issued first-in-the-nation criteria defining this syndrome to healthcare professionals across the State. DOH also has directed hospitals to prioritize testing for children with symptoms of this illness.
Federal Assistance for the MTA
This morning Governor Cuomo spoke to President Trump, who agreed to expedite $3.9 billion in COVID-related federal assistance to the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority). The first installment for this aid of $500 million was disbursed today.
Manufacturing Medical Equipment in New York State
In an effort to avoid future shortages of emergency medical equipment, the State has approved an initial $3 million in grants to businesses to manufacture medical supplies and equipment in New York State. Entities interested in growing or starting medical supply businesses should contact Empire State Development at: www.esd.ny.gov.
COVID-19 Numbers
Thankfully, we continue to remain on the far side of the COVID-19 plateau. That said, the number of deaths in the State has increased by 157 since yesterday.
