NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that New York state had again reported the lowest number of hospitalizations and new deaths from the coronavirus—but he said the state has received 25,000 complaints about businesses violating reopening rules and warned reopenings could be reined in if local governments don't take action.
After reporting record virus lows Saturday, Cuomo said the numbers had dropped again Sunday.
There were 1,657 hospitalizations statewide, "the lowest level since we started this horrific journey" on March 20, Cuomo said.
The number of new deaths from the coronavirus also hit a new low—23 deaths on Saturday. That's down from 32 Friday and 42 Thursday.
"This has caused New Yorkers a lot of pain," Cuomo said. "So we breathe a sigh of relief today."
The governor said "on the numbers, we are making real progress." He pointed out that the number of people testing positive for the virus in New York City had dropped to 1.4 percent on Saturday, down from 1.7 percent Friday.
But Cuomo warned that the state received 25,000 complaints of businesses violating reopening rules.
"We have never received more complaints in a shorter period of time," Cuomo said. "25,000. Just think about that."
Cuomo said many of the complaints were about bars and restaurants.
"What's alarming about the 25,000 is the volume, but it also shows how smart people are and how offended people are that they're calling and complaining," he said.
He said it's not just about being considerate to fellow New Yorkers, it's "a question of violating the law." He said a task force of state investigators are out enforcing rules about social gatherings, social distancing and wearing masks.
The governor said bars and restaurants could lose their liquor licenses and that individuals could be fined for having open containers or for violating distancing rules. His warning came after video showed hundreds of people packing sidewalks outside bars and restaurants in the East Village over the weekend.
Cuomo said states across the U.S. are already seeing upticks in the number of coronavirus cases.
"It's happened in half the states in the nation," he said. "So far we have been the exception. And we're not going to go back to that dark place because local government didn't do its job or because some individuals exploited the situation."
The governor specifically called out bars and restaurants in Manhattan and the Hamptons for their violations.
Cuomo warned that local governments' failure to enforce the rules could result in a return to closures to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
"There is a very real possibility that we would roll back the reopening in those areas," Cuomo said.
"This is a very serious situation and I want to make sure everybody knows the consequences here," he said. "We are not kidding around with this. You are talking about jeopardizing people's lives."
The governor said he even called several bars and restaurants himself to warn them.
"I said to them, 'You're playing with your licenses," Cuomo said. "I am not going to allow situations to exist that we know have a high likelihood of increasing the spread of the virus."
Mayor Bill de Blasio reportedly slammed Cuomo's threat to shutdown Manhattan again, saying through a spokeswoman that "imprisoning people" isn't the answer.
"We must balance safety with people's need to reopen their businesses," a spokeswoman for the mayor said in a statement to the New York Post. "We had social distancing ambassadors out all weekend distributing masks and encouraging people to disperse after making their purchases. These businesses are allowed to be open per the Governor's guidelines and we don't believe imprisoning people or taking away their livelihood is the answer."
At his daily briefing Sunday, Cuomo also announced that the state is allowing low-risk youth sports under Phase 3 of the reopening beginning July 6.
Up to two spectators will be allowed per child when youth sports begin again, the governor said. Among the sports that will be allowed are baseball, softball, gymnastics, field hockey, cross country and rowing.
"So that's another step towards a return to normalcy," Cuomo said.
The governor also announced two more bills were signed into law Sunday.
One of the laws affirms the right to record police. The other launches a new Department of Health study on the health impacts of COVID-19 on minority communities in New York state.
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