Governor Cuomo Announces Fourth Region Hits Benchmark to Begin Reopening May 15th

North Country Joins Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions, Which Have Met the Seven Metrics Required to Begin Reopening After NYS on Pause Orders Expire on May 15th

Regional Monitoring Dashboard Showing How Many Metrics Each Region Has Met to Reopen is Available Here

Results of Antibody Testing Survey of 2,750 Members of the NYS Police Show 3.1 Percent Have COVID-19 Antibodies

Results of Antibody Testing Survey of Approximately 3,000 Members of the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Show 7.5 Percent Have COVID-19 Antibodies

Confirms 2,176 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 340,661; New Cases in 47 Counties

Governor Cuomo: "We are doing the most transparent discussion and reopening operation of any state. Why? Because it only works if people understand it and if people are part of it. This is not a government exercise that we're doing here. This is a social exercise. The 19 million people of New York State are doing this and the best I can do is give them the information. ... This is a function of the actions of every individual and every family."

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, earlier today Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that as of today, the North Country has met all seven metrics required to begin phase one of the state's regional phased reopening plan when NYS on PAUSE orders expire on May 15th, joining the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions. If the trend continues, these four regions can begin opening businesses for phase one, which includes construction; manufacturing and wholesale supply chain; retail for curbside pickup and drop-off or in-store pickup; and agriculture, forestry and fishing. The Central New York region has met six of the seven metrics and could potentially be ready at the end of the week. A guide to the state's "NY Forward Reopening" Plan is available here. The state's regional monitoring dashboard is available here.

The Governor also announced the results of the state's antibody testing survey of 2,750 members of the New York State Police Show 3.1 percent of the members have COVID-19 antibodies. Additionally, results of the state's antibody testing survey of approximately 3,000 members of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision show 7.5 percent of members have COVID-19 antibodies. These results are compared to 12.3 percent of the general population in Upstate New York that tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies.

Finally, the Governor confirmed 2,176 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 340,661 confirmed cases in New York State.