Governor Cuomo Announces Western New York Enters Phase 2 of Reopening Today

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced Western New York is entering phase two of reopening today. The Capital Region is still on track to enter phase two of reopening tomorrow, June 3rd, and New York City is still on track to enter phase one of reopening on June 8th.

Governor Cuomo also announced that summer day camps statewide can open on June 29th. The state will make a decision on sleep-away camps in the coming weeks.

Governor Cuomo also issued an Executive Order allowing low-risk, outdoor recreational activities and businesses providing such activities to open in regions that have met the public health and safety metrics required for phase one.

"Today is day 94 of the COVID-19 pandemic and if you look at the progress we have made in New York, it's breathtaking how far and how fast we've come," Governor Cuomo said. "We have more good news today - the number of hospitalizations is down, the number of new COVID cases walking in the door is at an all-time low and the number of deaths is just about as low as we have seen it. As the numbers continue to decline, Western New York is now ready to begin phase two of reopening, and the Capital Region remains on track to open for phase two tomorrow."

Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said, "As the next two regions in New York State have been given the green light to begin to move from phase 1 to phase 2 the State's new early warning dashboard will help to mitigate any problems that arise. It is critical to continue to move forward based on data and New York State is doing just that."

Dr. Samir Bhatt, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Geostatistics, The Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, said, "As the Western New York and Capital regions begin to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2, the State's metrics provide a comprehensive view for tracking and controlling the disease. We will continue to monitor these data closely in order to make sure the next phase is implemented in a manner that balances public health and economic activity."

The Governor also confirmed 1,329 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 373,040 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 373,040 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows: