Gov: OK for city’s malls
Ready, set, gamble and shop!
Gov. Cuomo gave casinos in New York the green light Thursday to get back to business with some restrictions and also said shopping malls in the city can finally reopen their doors after months on the sidelines as the state continues to keep a lid on the coronavirus pandemic.
The governor said gambling establishments across the state can reopen at 25% capacity, starting after Labor Day weekend. Malls in the city, meanwhile, will be permitted to run at 50% of normal capacity as long as they install special air filters, he said.
Speaking a conference call , Cuomo mixed praise for New Yorkers with warnings about the dangers of moving too fast, especially when it comes to indoor dining in the five boroughs, which he said he’s still holding off on allowing.
The governor also lashed out harshly at President Trump, extending the bitter feud between the two leaders over the virus, which has killed more than 185,000 Americans and is still spreading in many Southern and Southwestern states.
“As commander-in-chief, he has been an abysmal failure in the war on COVID,” Cuomo said.
Along with the political bluster, Cuomo said New York continues to make pandemic progress.
He reported that 88,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the 24 hours ending Wednesday, with a positivity rate of just under 1%. Hospitalizations for coronavirus remained manageably low and seven people died in the 24hour period, he said.
With the school year around the corner, Cuomo also rolled out a new database from the State Department of Health that’s meant to keep tabs on infection rates.
All school districts will be required to provide DOH with daily data on the number of people who have tested positive for the virus in every school beginning Sept. 8. The data will then be made publicly available on a DOH website.
“Many of the school districts have testing protocols that will be in place as part of their plans, but as I’ve said from the beginning, those plans are only as good as their implementation,” Cuomo said. “I hope this will give teachers and parents some confidence that the plans are being implemented and if there’s a positive case, they will know and DOH will know and the locals can respond quickly.”
On a note so bright note, Cuomo warned that the Buffalo region has seen a spike in COVID-19 positivity rates to 1.9%.
Within the Buffalo city limits, authorities recorded a shocking 5.9% positivity rate Wednesday, which Cuomo called a flashing warning sign to the entire state.
The governor sternly warned he would order new shutdown measures if the region does not succeed in getting the virus back under control.