New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that he would knock regions down to a “New York on Pause” status if they fail to comply with coronavirus regulations.
Cuomo began his press conference in Albany, New York, on Sunday highlighting the state’s achievements against COVID-19.
“New York state has been following the data and, on the numbers, we’re making really great progress—and today is another great day in terms of achievement by New Yorkers,” he explained. The state marked its lowest number of coronavirus-related deaths since March.
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“New York is doing better than any state in reducing the virus. Fact,” the governor continued. “Another fact. States post-reopening are seeing a dramatic increase. Not New York. Not yet. But that is a serious caution for us. And that’s what I’m focused on.”
The governor then went on to discuss New York’s pitfalls in terms of social distancing.
Giving my daily press briefing now. Watch Live: https://t.co/9zAz8vg3gv
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 14, 2020
According to a report in the New York Daily News, Manhattan and the Hamptons have had thousands of businesses reported for violating social distancing rules. The state has received more than 25,000 complaints about businesses allowing customers to dine-in or drink on public streets.
“I am warning today in a nice way: consequences of your actions,” Cuomo said, noting businesses can lose their liquor licenses for breaking social distancing rules. “We have 25,000 complaints statewide. I’m not going to turn a blind eye to them.”
One resident noted on Twitter, “You have to be careful if you’re having a million people on the street and they’re not actually wearing masks.” Another resident, Ellen Jordan, tweeted, “If someone is getting super drunk, the first thing that happens is the mask comes off.”
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In a statement, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “We had social distancing ambassadors out all weekend distributing masks and encouraging people to disperse after making their purchases. These businesses are allowed to be open per the governor’s guidelines and we don’t believe imprisoning people or taking away their livelihood is the answer.”
New York state has had over 380,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and over 30,000 deaths.
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