Gov. Andrew Cuomo is quietly protecting his finger on New York’s “Pause” button — basically extending stay-at-home and mask-wearing directives to June 7.
Nevertheless, any of the state’s seven areas will nonetheless have the ability to section in re-openings sooner in the event that they meet a collection of benchmarks.
These benchmarks embody a decline in hospitalizations and deaths, and a 30 % emptiness charge in ICU and common hospital beds as safeguard in opposition to a sudden spike in sicknesses.
The ban on non-essential gatherings continues because the state’s coronavirus loss of life toll exceeded 21,000 on Saturday.
The continuing restrictions, prolonged with out fanfare by the governor on Thursday and Friday, sparked a small protest exterior Metropolis Corridor on Saturday afternoon.
Thirty protesters, many not carrying masks and a few carrying American flags and “Reopen NY” indicators, have been met by a contingent of cops, who arrested 9 individuals on costs they didn’t observe social distancing pointers.
“To fully shut down the complete state for an additional three weeks doesn’t make sense when some counties have few circumstances,” Staten Island Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis stated.
“Proper right here in NYC, reasonably priced housing building and metropolis sewer initiatives are happening with DOZENS of staff however different outside work like pool or fence set up, landscaping for beautification and different dwelling enchancment jobs that require simply a few staff stay shut down all through the complete state,” she stated.
“To not enable them to return to work is a call that lacks consistency. The Speaker of the Meeting ought to name us again instantly to finish Gov. Cuomo’s expanded emergency powers and restore the normal authorities given to the Legislature so we’ve a say in the way forward for our state.”