Governor Cuomo Announces U.S. Open to Be Held Without Fans from August 31st to September 13th and other Coronavirus items

Announces Hospitals and Group Homes Now Allowed To Accept Visitors

Global Public Health Experts Have Cleared Capital Region to Enter Phase Three Tomorrow

Results of Statewide Antibody Testing Study Show 13.4 Percent of the Population Have COVID-19 Antibodies

State Has Conducted More Than Three Million COVID-19 Tests to Date

Only 1.05 Percent of Yesterday's COVID-19 Tests were Positive

Confirms 631 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 384,575; New Cases in 38 Counties

Governor Cuomo: "We're excited about the US Open - is going to be held in Queens August 31 to September 13. It will be held without fans but we can watch it on TV and I'll take that. The tennis authority is going to be taking extraordinary precautions but that's going to occur in Queens."

Governor Cuomo: "What does it tell us in New York? Stay the course. We were right. We have the lowest rate of transmission. The phase reopening is working; stay the course. Stay the course means, you have to stay smart and you have to stay responsible and we all have to stay responsible. We're going to Phase 3 in the Capital Region: employers be smart; storeowners be smart; employees be smart; individuals be smart; local governments be smart and do your job. And to everyone, stay smart because smart works."

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the U.S. Open will be held in Queens without fans from August 31st to September 13th. The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space and dedicated housing and transportation.

Governor Cuomo also announced that hospitals and group homes will be allowed to accept visitors at their discretion. Any facility that chooses to allow visitors must follow state guidelines, including time-limited visits and requiring visitors to wear PPE and be subject to symptom and temperature checks. The hospital visitation program expands on a pilot program that was launched in May, which demonstrated that hospitals could provide safe visitation for patients and families. Hospitals statewide will now be able to provide visitation. Group homes certified by the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities will be allowed to accept visitors beginning Friday provided they adhere to state guidance and certify compliance to OPWDD prior to commencing visitation. The prohibition on nursing home visitors remains in place as the state Department of Health continues to review.

The Governor announced global public health experts have cleared the Capital Region to enter Phase Three tomorrow, June 17th. Business guidance for phase three of the state's reopening plan is available here.