How New York Will Return to Normal: Cuomo Plan

At least some summer activities and entertainment should be available to New Yorkers, the state governor said. The timing for returning to normal will vary by region and depends on certain conditions. This is reported in more detail by the publication Forbes.

Part of New York may begin to return to normal from May 15th. This was announced on Sunday, April 26, by Governor Andrew Cuomo, setting out a two-stage plan to resume the state’s work. He emphasized that different regions will have different quarantine exit schedules.

Cuomo believes that at least some “summer activities” should be available to New Yorkers. But this point of view, apparently, contradicts the comments of the mayor of the city Bill de Blasio.

State re-opening times will vary by region. According to Cuomo, the upper part of New York State is likely to enter the first phase after May 15, "with certain precautions." It may take longer to open upstate New York, Westchester and Long Island.

“The first phase of the renewal will cover low-risk construction and manufacturing areas,” Cuomo said. - The second phase will be more difficult. It involves lifting restrictions on the bulk of private companies. The latter will decide for themselves whether it is worth starting work while maintaining the risk of infection of employees. "

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The interval between the phases will be about two weeks. This will allow you to control the effect of the implementation of each phase and the level of infection.

According to Cuomo, reopening depends on a 14-day reduction in hospitalization at the state and region levels, citing federal recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cuomo's decision to begin bringing the state back to business as usual, including allowing residents to hold summer events, appears to run counter to the mayor of New York. Earlier Bill de Blasio talked about the possibility of keeping pools and beaches closed throughout the summer. "You can't tell people in a densely populated city:" We have nothing to offer you (activities and entertainment are meant - Ed.) ", Common sense must be present here," Cuomo said.

Speaking about what will happen after May 15, when the current quarantine ends, the governor said: “We will get to May 15, we expect to see a decrease (epidemics - Ed.) In the state for 14 days. But in which regions will weakening occur? (When these regions are known - Ed.), That's when we will start talking about the transition to the first phase in this region, ”Cuomo said.

Among other contradictions between the statements of Cuomo and Bill de Blasio is that the city’s public schools will remain closed until the end of the school year, as previously announced by the mayor. The governor, in turn, noted that the resumption of schools should be part of the regional plan.

Cuomo also expressed the hope that the business will conduct its own risk analysis of its reopening. Businesses will need to provide information on what precautions and safeguards they will take to protect workers. “The caveat,” Cuomo said, “is that nothing can be done in any region to increase the number of visitors to that region. If something opens in Syracuse that attracts visitors from New Jersey, Connecticut or the New York suburbs, there are fears that the rate of spread of the coronavirus infection could sharply increase again. Coordination (between the states - Ed.) Is important, ”Cuomo said.