In another step toward restarting its economy going into the summer, New York will permit horse racing tracks and Watkins Glen International car track to resume with the coronavirus outbreak easing, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.
But Cuomo was quick to add a caveat: “No crowds. No fans.”
At his daily briefing, Cuomo stated he could even envision a return of Major League Baseball in New York, but without fans. “If it works economically, that would be great,” he stated.
Cuomo also declared that residents of suburban Westchester and Suffolk counties — two of the country’s early hotspots — will again be qualified for elective surgeries and ambulatory care.
“There was a period where hospitals were dealing basically with COVID patients,” he stated. “We are past that period. If you need medical attention, if you require a medical procedure, you should get it.”
The announcements came as hospitalizations, new cases and deaths throughout the country’s hardest-hit state have continued to flatten or tick down, he stated.
There were 157 deaths reported since Friday, encouraging news compared to early April when the daily death toll was above 700. The state’s overall toll now stands at almost 22,500.
But Cuomo cautioned that the state could see an increase in cases as the economy opens up. To prevent another spike, people will still need to take precautions like social distancing, he stated.
“People are going to be coming out of their homes,” he stated. “How do they act when they come out? … If people are smart you will see some boost in numbers, but you won’t see a spike.”
The first person to die in New Jersey from Covid-19 coronavirus was a longtime fixture in the harness racing industry. His death in March resulted in closure of Yonkers Raceway, a harness racing track near New York City.
About 1,497,244 people in the US have been confirmed as being infected with the coronavirus. The virus has killed 89,420 people in the country.
