Long Island will begin its Phase 1 reopening Wednesday, leaving New York City the state's only region still shuttered amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
New York's Mid-Hudson region began reopening Tuesday morning, two months after New Rochelle was deemed an 'epicenter' for the novel coronavirus in the United States.
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced the state's lowest daily COVID-19 death total since early-March, 73.
He said with Long Island cleared to allow curbside pickup for retailers and the resumption of non-essential manufacturing and construction, the state will look to "supercharge" infrastructure projects, like rebuilding Penn Station and LaGuardia International airport.
According to the state's Regional Monitoring Dashboard, New York City was close but still lagging behind in three of seven CDC metrics on reopening.
While the city needs to reduce its ratio of new infections to available hospital beds, Gov. Cuomo touted advancements in tracing community spread. He noted that officials can now determine the specific ZIP codes in which outbreaks are taking place and use that data to tailor a response.
"We're going to to attack the virus at its source," he said. "That will really bring the numbers down in New York City. We started that last week but we're really going to bring it to a new level this week."
There is particular concern for predominantly minority neighborhoods, Cuomo said, some of which have infection rates more than double the rate of the general population.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said last week that he expects the city to begin reopening in early-June.
Gov. Cuomo reopened the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday, which will operate with a limited amount of traders on the floor to allow for adequate social distancing.
He added that he plans to visit with President Trump on Wednesday. He will likely push the President for support on infrastructure projects and a stimulus bill for states hard-hit by the pandemic.
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