Reopening
Governor Cuomo announced that five regions are officially entering into Phase 4 today. The regions are Central New York, the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley, and the North Country.
Additionally the Governor stated that they are still holding back on the reopening of malls, gyms, and movie theaters as there is still further information that needed to be analyzed about the possible spread of COVID-19 through the recirculation of air within an air-conditioning system. The State Department of Health is currently working to see what solutions there may be to this situation as well as State Budget Director Robert Mujica who has been in contact with companies about the possibility of a filter that could solve this problem.
Inter-State Travel
As some other states have paused their current reopening processes, Governor Cuomo offered any help New York State could provide to assist them with their process, from equipment to personnel. As for the tristate Trip Advisory, the Governor is still looking into what can be done to enforce this and has been in contact with the Federal government as well as the airlines to see what possibilities exist.
New York State Fair
When asked about the possibility of the New York State Fair opening this year, the Governor stated that “right now we are not in a position to go ahead.” The Governor did indicate that there are still a few weeks remaining before they must make that final decision and they are in contact with the Fair about this issue.
New York City
Mayor de Blasio today confirmed Phase 3 will begin in NYC on Monday, July 6th. This includes indoor dining at 50% capacity for each restaurant, and the re-opening of recreational areas (basketball, tennis, volleyball, handball and bocce courts, soccer fields and dog runs.
Beaches will open for swimming on July 1st.
The Mayor also announced there will not be a property tax rate increase. He did not quantify how long his “no property tax increase” pledge will last.
Mayor de Blasio did emphasize that the City is facing a $9 Billion deficit, and budget negotiations continue.
New York City Outdoor Dining to Expand
Today, the NYC DOT announced it will expand outdoor dining to allow restaurants to take up an entire block. On Monday, June 29th, the application process begins and the program will begin on July 4th weekend. DOT is working with the NYPD and FDNY to ensure emergency vehicles have access, and they expect the approval process to take 1 to 2 weeks.
New York State COVID-19 Numbers
New York State is still maintaining the lowest number of hospitalizations and deaths since the pandemic began. With this in mind, there still were 14 deaths yesterday from COVID-19, bringing the three day average down to 16.