MANHATTAN (CN) — Incrementally easing some of the restrictions governing his Covid-19-battered state, Governor Andrew Cuomo detailed the steps New York is taking to have beaches open next week for Memorial Day.
New York has joined with New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware on the decision in a regional approach that “accommodates all needs,” Cuomo said at his daily press conference Friday, a day after New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced beaches would be open in a joint livestream with former Vice President Joe Biden.
“If we do not open our beaches, people will go to New Jersey beaches, I promise you that,” Cuomo said.
Five regions of New York state were cleared to open Friday morning, though New York City, its suburbs and Buffalo remain closed. Cuomo extended his shutdown order for those regions Friday through May 28.
The Finger Lakes, Central New York, the Southern Tier, the Mohawk Valley, and the rural North County are now all allowed to begin construction, manufacturing and curbside pickup for retail. But they must meticulously monitor infection rates and other numbers designated by the state and react to any increases, Cuomo warned.
“We expect the rate will go up, but it has to be a rate that we can control,” the governor said.
As of Friday, New York state counted 345,813 confirmed cases and 22,304 confirmed fatalities.
Social-distancing measures still in place mean that beaches must not exceed 50% capacity, and concessions and group activities like grills and sport spaces will be closed. Beachgoers and staff must also wear masks when they are not able to socially distance, Cuomo said.
Localities such as New York City must decide by Wednesday, May 20, if they are able to open their own beaches, Cuomo said. If they cannot, state beaches will require more enforcement as more people flock to them, he added. If a beach is found unable to enforce the many regulations, the governor said it would be closed by the following day.
De Blasio said Friday the city’s beaches would not be open by next weekend.
“On the beaches, we’re just not ready,” he said at his own press conference in Manhattan, later adding, “and it's painful because we would all love to be able to go to the beach with the hot weather, but it's not safe yet.”
New York City is the hardest-hit part of the state, with 187,848 confirmed cases and at least 20,476 confirmed and probable Covid-19 deaths.
De Blasio did lay out new measures by the city to keep people cool as the weather heats up to potentially dangerous levels this summer and many residents lack central air conditioning. The city will purchase over 74,000 air conditioners, 22,000 of which will go to those who live in low-income housing run by the NYCHA. Installations will start next week, he said.
The city typically provides air-conditioned cooling centers during heat waves, which this year will need to accommodate social distancing and may include nontraditional sites such as sports venues and auditoriums, de Blasio said.
So-called “misting oases” and spray showers will be added to parks and low-income neighborhoods, and the Department of Environmental Protection is creating a plan to open fire hydrants, de Blasio said. The city will also encourage the state to mandate generator hookups at adult care facilities in case of power outages.
Facing criticism for his deployment of the NYPD to enforce social-distancing rules, which resulted in over 80% of summonses being issued to black and Hispanic New Yorkers, de Blasio noted Friday that the massive police force would prioritize dispersing groups of six or more, focus on education, and not take enforcement action on a failure to wear a face covering “absent a serious danger to the public.”
