ALBANY, N.Y. - Governor Cuomo is warning the public of the dangers for not following reopening rules.
In his afternoon briefing, he said New Yorkers need to continue to socially distance and wear masks to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.
He applauded the NY state legislature for moving as quickly as they did on reopening and said the state is continuing to closely monitoring daily test results. The state is currently performing 50,000 tests per day.
There were 36 deaths in New York State from the virus in last 24 hours.
Five regions of the state are expected to begin phase three on Friday.
Cuomo said he’s handing over the reins to local governments on when public pools and playgrounds can reopen. “Use your judgement, sometimes yes is not the right answer.”
He then pointed to other states where COVID-19 cases have increased since their reopening.
“It is all across the country. We are the exception and an outrageous exception. We, so far have the exact opposite phenomenon,” Cuomo said. “We reopen; the number continues to go down.”
He said it’s a testament to how informed New Yorkers are.
“That can change overnight,” he added.
Cuomo also said New York had the largest protests, but results of any spread from those gatherings may not show up for a couple of weeks.
As New York enters its 15th straight day of protests, demonstrators around the country are calling for the removal of some statues with a checkered history, including the Christopher Columbus statue in Central Park.
Cuomo defending the statue, saying “the statue has come to represent and signify appreciation for the Italian-American contribution to New York. So for that reason, I support it.”