Regions of upstate New York with the fewest coronavirus cases will likely be the first to lift social distancing measures, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday.

New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dictate that the state hospitalization rate must decline for 14 days in order to begin reopening, Cuomo said at a press briefing. Cuomo closed nonessential businesses in New York state until May 15 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The state will begin to discuss a phased reopening after May 15, Cuomo said.

“We’re now looking at a relatively short period of time,” he said.

The coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected 288,045 and killed 16,966 in New York state. The number of new hospitalizations for the virus is continuing to decrease, Cuomo said.

Upstate regions that have had a lower number of COVID-19 cases will likely be the first to begin reopening, Cuomo said. These regions must be careful not to attract outside visitors after reopening, he said.

New York state will reopen in three phases, starting with low-risk construction and manufacturing services, Cuomo said. The state will later determine what businesses should reopen in the second phase, he said.

Businesses that wish to reopen during the second phase must consider how they can operate safely and reduce the risk of infection, Cuomo said. These businesses need to present their plans to the state before they can reopen, he said.

“It’s very much going to be up to businesses,” Cuomo said. “We learned a lot of lessons here. How do we take the lessons we learned and say, ‘When we reopen, we’re gonna be better’?”

The state will take two weeks between phases to monitor the effects before moving forward, Cuomo said. The state will look at antibody test results, the hospitalization rate and regular diagnostic test results to determine the overall public health situation, Cuomo said.

Cuomo said the state will pay more attention to lower-income communities and those in public housing. These efforts include making food banks and childcare more available, he said.

“There’s no doubt that we have at this point gone through the worst,” Cuomo said. “As long as we act prudently going forward, the worst should be over.”

Published on April 26, 2020 at 10:23 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan