New York City eyes June 8 for first phase of reopening

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York City is on track to begin reopening June 8 as the state gradually loosens restrictions put in place during the coronavirus crisis, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday.

Cuomo said the city was meeting goals set for hospital rates and testing, will “stockpile” personal protective equipment and will focus on infection rates in hot spots by ZIP code.

“We believe all of these things can be done next week,” the Democratic governor said at his daily briefing. The state saw 67 new deaths, a number he called the “lowest ever.”

Also Friday, Cuomo cleared a large swath of upstate New York to reopen hair salons, retail shops and offices under strict guidelines.

Cuomo said virology experts had reviewed infection and hospitalization data and cleared the North Country, Finger Lakes, central New York, Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier to enter the second phase of reopening.

New York City is the only remaining region in the state that has yet to lift any restrictions. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the first phase of the reopening process would bring as many as 400,000 people back to work.

The city is providing 2 million masks for businesses and will also offer training and a worker protection hotline, he said, but residents who don’t yet feel comfortable commuting by subway may have to improvise.

“We are trying to get the subways and buses to be as clean and safe as possible in a really, really imperfect situation,” de Blasio said. “If people want to use cars because that’s what makes them comfortable, and obviously there still is a lot less traffic on the road, then they’re going to use cars.”

Businesses normally rely on public transportation to get their employees to work in a city where fewer than half of households own a car.

The first...