COVID-19 BRIEFING/July 6, 2020

STATE FAIR

CANCELLED

Governor Looks Ahead

To Fall School Opening

Here are highlights of today’s COVID-19 briefing by Governor Cuomo:

• The New York State Fair is canceled this year out of an abundance of caution. While disappointing for many reasons, the risk is too high to hold the Fair this summer.

• The State is planning for the fall school year. The New York State Department of Health, in consultation with the Reimagine Education Advisory Council and others, is finalizing guidance on the possible reopening of schools in September. Every school district throughout the State has been directed to develop reopening plans. At the moment, no decisions have been made on whether schools are reopening in the fall. We will follow the data, and make a decision on the data.

• Casinos and movie theaters remain closed. The State will continue to review the science and facts on their safe reopening.

• New York is looking at specific air conditioning requirements to prevent airborne spread of the virus. The State will make industry recommendations on the use of air filtration technology to potentially eliminate the spread of COVID-19 through air conditioning systems. As evidence emerges that COVID-19 spread is linked more to airborne transmission than to surface area transmissions, we are studying filters, their compatibility with existing air systems, the expense of modifications to air conditioning systems and other factors.

• The number of total hospitalizations continues to decline. Yesterday, total hospitalizations fell to 817, from 832 the previous day. Sadly, we lost 9 New Yorkers to the virus.

• Yesterday, the State conducted 54,328 tests. Only 518, or 0.95%, were positive.

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The governor said today: Today, New York City begins Phase 3 of reopening but indoor dining will not move forward at this point. The Mid-Hudson region will enter Phase 4 of reopening tomorrow, July 7 and Long Island is on track to enter Phase 4 of Wednesday, July 8.We continue to closely monitor the regions to track the infection and hospitalization rate and be sure neither is going up. We will tighten or loosen the reopening speed as necessary depending on the data. If we see spikes in data or lack of compliance, we will slow down the reopening and adjust accordingly. The numbers all continue to show that we are right where we need to be, but what’s happening around the country is a cold reminder that we must all continue to be cautious, smart and disciplined—it’s up to us New York and we cannot let one another down.