"Phase 1 reopening [in] some regions are manufacturing, construction, following reopening guidelines [involving] social distancing, curbside pickup and personal protective equipment for employees", Cuomo said during a daily press briefing on Thursday.
Cuomo pointed out that the openings would start to take place on Friday in the regions of central New York State, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier. But New York City and its surrounding region have not yet met state standards to permit the reopening process to start in them, Cuomo added.
NEW: Central New York has now met all seven metrics to begin Phase 1 of reopening on May 15th.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 14, 2020
It joins Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, and the North Country.
Phase 1 of Cuomo's reopening plan gives priority to construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and wholesale businesses. It also relaxes restrictions in the fields of forestry, fishing, and hunting and permits retail stores to operate curbside or internal pickup and drop-off services.
Cuomo also said that at least seventeen US states have reported cases of children with a multisystem inflammatory disorder linked to the new coronavirus. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said about 100 confirmed cases of the disease named Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (PMIS). One child died, he added.
Like New York State, 16 other states and 6 European countries have reported cases of children suffering from potentially COVID-related illnesses.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 14, 2020
NY is leading the way on research.
We need to understand all we can as fast as we can when it comes to our children.
The syndrome is similar to Kawasaki disease that causes heart and kidney failure and mostly affects young children.
In total, New York State has record 336,681 novel coronavirus cases and 27,282 deaths related to the COVID-19 disease, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
