NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – New York state's coronavirus hospitalizations have reached a new low, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday, as New York City prepares to enter Phase 4 on Monday.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 were down to 743 on Friday, the lowest they've been since the beginning of the pandemic on March 18. They were down 22 from 765 on Thursday.
There were 11 coronavirus deaths in the state Friday, Cuomo said, bringing the state's death toll to 25,035.
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Another 754 coronavirus cases were confirmed in the state. The total number of cases is now 406,305.
Cuomo said the 754 new cases represented 1.08 percent of the 69,817 people tested for the virus on Friday.
The governor said the low hospitalizations and positivity rate showed New York state was continuing to keep the coronavirus at bay but nationwide spikes in cases were still a major concern.
"As New York continues to show progress combatting COVID-19 with low hospitalizations and a low rate of positive cases, we remain alarmed by spikes in much of the country and the risk of a lack of compliance at home as the state pursues a phased, data-driven reopening," Cuomo said in a statement.
New York City will be the last region of the state to reach the fourth and final phase of reopening on Monday.
Under Phase 4, outdoor activities like zoos and botanical gardens will be allowed to reopen at 33 percent capacity and professional sports teams will be permitted to play at empty stadiums. Movie and TV crews will also be allowed to resume filming.
But it will be a modified Phase 4, with indoor activities like malls, museums and indoor dining at restaurants still prohibited.
Cuomo warned that New York's progress is fragile as cases surge in many states.
"I feel like we're standing on a beach and we're looking out at the sea and we see the second wave building in the distance, so I want all New Yorkers to be on high alert," the governor said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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