"We're talking about a phased reopening. That's what everyone basically is doing. The question is moderating that phasing and doing it intelligently," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
Certain parts of New York can begin to reopen as soon as Friday as the state sees the lowest number of daily coronavirus deaths since March.
On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said three regions upstate could partially reopen by this weekend, when the state's stay-at-home order is set to expire. Certain "low-risk" businesses and activities, like landscaping services and drive-in movies, can resume statewide.
The regions that can reopen are Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier and Mohawk valley. They all met the seven criteria the state set for reopening, including low numbers of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and having testing and tracing measures in place. Cuomo said several other regions are close to meeting the requirements, too.
New York has been the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., recording more than 337,000 cases and nearly 27,000 deaths.
Contains footage from CNN.
