DELHI – Delaware County officials issued a special statement on Thursday as the state prepared to further loosen restrictions in the wake of this spring's COVID-19 pandemic.
The news has been almost entirely good for New York in recent weeks, following months of battling the worst-in-the-country outbreak of the disease. Governor Andrew Cuomo said Friday's daily press briefing will be the end of the daily updates, and there will only be further live briefings as needed.
New York City, the last region to open, is expected to move to phase two Monday with outdoor dining and limited retail operations.
The governor put new teeth into enforcement, allowing the state to immediately shut down and rescind the liquor license of any restaurant or bar not enforcing public health mandates.
He said that the Central New York region, which has seen a spike in cases, has been investigated and the spike is related to one apple processing plant in Oswego.
“That’s bad news, but it’s also goods news,” said the governor. “That’s the way this is supposed to work. You see an increase in the numbers. You trace the increase. Does it lead anywhere?”
The state is allowing day camps to open, so long as they follow state public health guidelines for masks and social distancing. Gatherings of up to 25 people are permitted, and starting June 26, up to 150 people may attend a graduation, provided social distancing is observed. Low risk youth sports, including baseball, softball, crew, field hockey, cross country, and gymnastics, may resume July 6 with up to two spectators per child permitted.
The Delaware County Board of Supervisors issued a special statement on Thursday, urging local residents to continue to comply with state guidelines.
“We have worked hard to get to this point,” it read, “and want to ensure we do not slide backwards with a resurgence of the virus that would force the closing of businesses and community operations again. For these reasons we are stressing the need to continue to wear face coverings and practice recommended social distancing guidelines. It is important to support our local businesses and community organizations by shopping and eating local. It is also important to comply with the signs on the doors that ask each of us to wear face coverings and keep distance between other patrons while in stores and restaurants. When a business owner puts these standards in place they are doing it as part of the guidance they must comply with to be open in New York State. If the residents of Delaware County ignore these standards we are putting each of these business owners in jeopardy of being shut down by New York State again.”
Meanwhile, ten states saw a spike in virus this cases, with Florida appearing to be the new epicenter of the virus. California, among the states seeing a dramatic increase in cases, is now requiring masks for anyone outdoors.
