NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Gov. Andrew Cuomo said five New York state regions will enter Phase 3 of reopening Friday as he announced cities can open pools and playgrounds for the summer at their discretion.
Cuomo said localities are allowed to open pools and playgrounds as long as they follow state guidelines.
“Use your judgement,” the governor said. “Sometimes ‘yes’ is not the right answer, it’s the easy answer.”
At his daily briefing Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said pools may be able to open in New York City this summer.
“We can start a conversation around pools,” the mayor said, adding that "I don’t know if we’ll get there" but "we can at least begin that conversation now for the first time."
Cuomo said five regions are set to enter Phase 3 of reopening, which includes indoor and outdoor service at restaurants, as well as personal care services like nail salons and massage parlors.
The five regions that can enter Phase 3 on Friday are: North Country, Mohawk Valley, Central New York, Finger Lakes and Southern Tier.
Cuomo said the state was conducting 50,000 tests across the state each day and that daily test results were “the number that we have to watch” going forward.
“You want to look for an increase and then a continued increase,” Cuomo said.
The governor said 1.7 percent of people in New York City had tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday compared to 1.5 percent Tuesday and 1.8 percent Monday.
The number of hospitalizations in the state—2,042 patients—reached its lowest point since March 21, the governor said.
The state reported 36 deaths Wednesday, 32 in hospitals and four in nursing homes, Cuomo said, adding that “the number of deaths is close to its lowest point.”
There have been at least 24,442 deaths and 380,892 cases of COVID-19 in New York state.