Westchester, Putnam Eye Phase I Reopening on Tuesday
Westchester and Putnam counties are poised to enter a Phase I reopening on Tuesday after the declining statewide death toll has helped the region qualify in all but one category.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that the seven-county Mid-Hudson region reached just five deaths Friday on the rolling three-day average, the next-to-last criteria needed.
Over the long holiday weekend, officials from the region will make sure at least 857 more contact tracers are trained in order to reach the requisite number for a Tuesday reopening, Cuomo said. The region, which also comprises Rockland, Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties, needs at least 1,991 tracers in place under the state standard of having at least 30 tracers per 100,000 residents in place.
The tracers identify individuals who have been potentially exposed to COVID-19, who can then be tested, and if necessary, isolated should they test positive. Cuomo said they can be trained online over the next three days.
“We agreed to ask people to be trained Saturday, Sunday, Monday and we’ll open in the Mid-Hudson on Tuesday,” Cuomo said. “So that is good news.”
Phase I is a minimal reopening, which allows for construction, manufacturing and curbside retail provided employers are able to have their workers observe social distancing protocols while providing personal protection equipment. If the thresholds for testing, tracing, COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths can be maintained for two weeks after the start of the first phase, regions can then move into Phase II, which includes professional services, finance and insurance, retail, administrative support and real estate and rental leasing.
The third phase includes restaurants and hotels while the fourth phase takes in education and recreation.
Cuomo has said that there should be at least two weeks between the start of each phase, accounting for the presumed incubation period for the virus.
He said that Long Island, which is at eight deaths on the three-day rolling average, above the threshold of five, has had 10 consecutive days of declining deaths. If that region can lower the number of deaths through Tuesday, Nassau and Suffolk counties could begin reopening on Wednesday, provided there are enough contact tracers that are trained and in place.
New York City appears to be the last region that will qualify. In addition to the tracing, its percentage of available hospital beds stand at 28 percent and available ICU beds at 26 percent, below the 30 percent minimum that the state is required in each category.
The Mid-Hudson region’s percentage of available hospital and ICU beds are at 35 and 52 percent, respectively, through Friday.
Cuomo applauded the state’s residents for their diligence in following social distancing guidelines and wearing face coverings. On Friday, COVID-19-related deaths statewide fell to 84, the first time that number has been below 100 since the earliest days of the crisis. New virus-related hospitalizations have fallen to just over 200.
“This is all a function of what people do,” Cuomo said. “It has nothing to do with government, it has nothing to do with anything else. This is what people do and New Yorkers have been great in understanding the situation and responding.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
