For the first time this month, New York’s daily death toll from COVID-19 has dropped below 400. Speaking at his briefing Sunday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that 367 New Yorkers died from the respiratory illness the day before, which is less than half of where it was at the height of the outbreak. New hospitalizations also dropped to about 1,000 on Saturday.
Cuomo described the latest numbers as “only not terrible news compared to where we were.” He referred to Saturday’s death toll from the disease as “horrific,” adding, “there is no relative context to death. Death is death. 367 people passed. 367 families.” Cuomo largely attributed the decline to the efforts of New Yorkers adhering to social distancing.
Cuomo also detailed a rough plan to reopen the state’s economy, including a multiphase approach with certain sectors opening sooner than others. In determining how this plan would roll out, Cuomo suggesting states document a decline of cases for 14 days before reopening. Ultimately, Cuomo said, the infection rate would have to remain low for the rollout to function.
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