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New York State requires regions to have a new hospitalization rate under 2 per 100,000 residents to begin phase 1 of the reopening plan, which Long Island was over until the weekend.
As of Monday, May 18, Long Island posted a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, according to the state dashboard that is updated daily.
Long Island has not seen a 14-day decline in hospital deaths for COVID-19 or fewer than five deaths over a three-day rolling average. The hospitalization decline has hit five days, while there has been an average of 12 new deaths over the past three days.
Central New York, the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country, and Southern Tier are now open for business. The Capital Region has now hit six of the seven metrics laid forth by the state before reopening, though Long Island, New York City, and the mid-Hudson Valley are still behind.
Phase 1 of the reopening plan proposed by state officials allows nonessential manufacturing, construction and retail businesses to reopen, but with social-distancing and density-reduction precautions in place. Retail is only allowed curbside or in-store pickups.
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