New York City will enter phase two of reopening on Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in his last daily briefing Friday.
“All regions of the state have lower infection rates, and the state experts have gone over all the data, and they will allow New York City to begin phase two on Monday,” Cuomo said. “We reopened the economy and we saved lives, because it was never a choice between one or the other — it was always right to do both.”
Phase one currently only allows curbside and in-store pickup for retailers, along with the construction, agriculture, manufacturing and wholesale trading industries being able to resume work. The second phase permits outdoor eating at restaurants and allows offices, hair salons and retail stores to reopen at 50 percent capacity. Many retailers are looking forward to phase two because it will allow in-store shopping to resume.
Housing court will also reopen on Monday, widespread confusion remains over what that means for both tenants and landlords, due to conflicting guidance issued by the courts and Cuomo. The governor’s final daily coronavirus briefing did not include a question-and-answer portion.