Cuomo announces requirements for reopening New York

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to reopen New York on Monday, following COVID-19 shutdowns that slowed much of the state’s economy. Photo courtesy of Cuomo’s Office

By Victoria Merlino

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced a plan to reopen New York on a region-by-region basis as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend lives throughout the state. 

The undertaking will be a particular challenge in Queens, which has remained the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in New York City, and one of the hardest hit areas in the world.

The reopening plan will commence after Cuomo’s so-called “PAUSE” order — which closed most businesses and halted most gatherings in the state —  ends on May 15. 

Regions throughout the state will need to meet a series of seven targets to be able to reopen, including a 14-day decline in hospitalizations and deaths, a decline of new hospitalizations, a high testing rate, at least 30 contact tracers per 100,000 residents, and a stable share of hospital and ICU beds. 

Of these seven metrics, New York City currently meets three of them. Other areas in the state are closer to reopening, with areas upstate meeting five of the seven metrics.  Long Island is the only region in the state to only meet two of the seven metrics. 

“There is no dollar figure to a human life. New York will reopen (by region) when it is safe to do so,” Cuomo wrote on Twitter. 

The reopening plan comes as other states around the nation also begin to reopen, notably California, which was the first state to issue a stay-at-home order in mid-March.