NY Racing Tracks Get Green Light To Reopen: Cuomo

NEW YORK — The state will allow horse racing tracks and the Watkins Glen International auto race track to open without fans, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo looks to boost economic activity and televised entertainment options without causing a spike in coronavirus infections.

Horse racing tracks, such as the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, will be able to open June 1, Cuomo said during a Saturday news briefing. The state will issue guidance this week on how the tracks can safely reopen.

"If you can have economic activity without a crowd, that's great," Cuomo said. "There’s a lot of reward for minimal risk."

Live racing at the Aqueduct Racetrack was canceled in March to make way for a temporary hospital facility for coronavirus patients, but the state scuttled those plans by mid-April.

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Asked about the possibility of doing the same for the New York Yankees and New York Mets, Cuomo indicated he would allow baseball teams to play in empty stadiums but that the return of the sport isn't up to just one state.

As we phase reopening we are looking for all opportunities to reopen economic activity without crowds.

For example, horse racing tracks across the state can open June 1 without fans.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 16, 2020

Cuomo also announced that Westchester and Suffolk Counties are eligible to resume elective surgeries, bringing the total of eligible counties across the state to

Five of New York's 10 regions — Central New York, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Southern Tier and Finger Lakes — started reopening Friday.

Meanwhile, New York City has met just four of the state's seven metrics for reopening. The city hasn't yet met the benchmarks for available hospital and ICU beds or the rate of new hospitalizations, according to state data as of Friday.

The state saw 400 new hospitalizations and 157 deaths Friday, Cuomo said.

“We’re right about where we were when we started," Cuomo said. "We just want to make sure we don’t go back to the hell that we’ve gone through.”