Mid-Hudson Reopens Tuesday, Long Island On Wednesday: Cuomo

NEW YORK, NY — The Mid-Hudson Valley region is beginning phase one of reopening businesses Tuesday, and Long Island will do the same Wednesday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the news at his daily briefing Tuesday in New York City hours after ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange, which had been closed since mid-March.

Long Island is finalizing contact tracers, Cuomo said. New York City said it hired more than 1,700 tracers, who will begin working next week.

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Cuomo told county executives to "pounce" if they see a spike in coronavirus cases. COVID-19-related deaths, hospitalizations, intubations and intensive care admissions continued to show a downward trend, days after several regions began phase one of reopening businesses and many New Yorkers visited public beaches for the first time since the outbreak.

The number of people who died of the virus fell to 73 on Monday, including 52 in hospitals and 21 in nursing homes. The number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations fell to 201, its lowest since the state began tracking the numbers.

Cuomo on Tuesday called on America to begin long-needed major infrastructure upgrades. Government can stimulate the economy, and has done so in the past with the Hoover Damn and Lincoln Tunnel. He pledged to fast-track work on current projects that would create thousands of jobs, including a new LaGuardia Airport, a new Empire Station at Penn, rebuilding cross-Hudson tunnels and expanding the Second Avenue subway station in New York City.

"You're going to see pain in this new economy," Cuomo said. "Let's do something about it."

Another part of his plan: increasing low-cost renewable power downstate and production upstate by building new transmission cables across the state.

Cuomo plans to meet with President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss possible major infrastructure projects.

The governor's daughter also announced the winner of the state's mask-wearing ad contest. "We ❤ NY" from Bunny Lake Films won the contest by just over 500 votes out of more than 96,000 that were cast. The second place, titled, "You Can Still Smile," will also be run due to the narrow margin of victory, Cuomo said.

He once again urged New Yorkers to wear masks in public, and even encouraged people to enforce compliance on their own, so long as they're "polite."

"Wearing the mask has got to be something you do every day," Cuomo said, noting that those who call out others for not wearing a mask should keep it friendly, helpful and constructive.