BINGHAMTON – Despite a new illness affecting children, Governor Andrew Cuomo was at SUNY Binghamton for his daily press conference Tuesday, and announced that the state website that will track the progress of each region's readiness to begin a phased reopening of business will be ready soon.
According to Cuomo, as three regions in the state, including the Southern Tier, which includes Delaware County, prepare to reopen Friday, the state is investigating a virus-related illness that has now impacted a hundred New York children and killed three. He said state hospitals have been instructed to prioritize testing for children who come in with similar symptoms.
Meanwhile, the state website at https://forward.ny.gov/regional-monitoring-dashboard will be updated daily as the health tracking criteria required for updating is monitored. If a phased reopening spikes the infection rate for COVID-19 beyond acceptable levels set by the CDC, businesses could be closed again.
Conversely, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said Tuesday that as the state has made exceptions for some businesses to allow them to open with restrictions, the state has the discretion to also move up the reopening timeline.
Glenn Nealis, head of the Delaware County IDA, has been given the job of contact person for local businesses with questions about reopening. He said “of course” there's a concern about every phase, and that everyone will share in the responsibility for keeping each other safe.
