New York City has been one of the hardest-hit areas during the coronavirus pandemic, but state Governor Andrew Cuomo says the city is "on track" to start reopening next month. During a press conference on Friday, Cuomo said "phase one" of reopening the city is expected to begin on June 8.
"We know where the hot spots are in the city, we want to focus on them next week, be ready to open," he said. "We're on track to open on June 8, which is one week from Monday."
The first phase of reopening in Long Island and Mid-Hudson began this week, so NYC is currently the only region in the state still under Cuomo's stay-at-home order. He said phase one will see 400,000 employees back to work with more able to do so later down the line.
He reiterated these statements on Twitter, telling his followers hotspots are being targeted "down to the zip code."
He did, however, warn citizens this won't mean "returning to the past," and that precautions will still need to be taken. "Reopening means moving toward a new, safer normal," Cuomo wrote on Twitter. "Wear a mask. Get test. Social distance. It's up to us to keep this progress going."
Additionally, he said that when it comes to reopening barbershops and salons, these businesses will be required to limit capacity to 50 percent while employees who interact with customers will need to be tested at least once every two weeks.
So far, more than 366,000 people across the state of New York have been infected with COVID-19.
