ALBANY, N.Y. _ Another upstate region has met all the benchmarks Gov. Andrew Cuomo set for areas to reopen as New York recorded fewer than 200 coronavirus deaths for a fourth straight day.
Central New York joins a large swath of upstate including Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley, Northern Country and the Finger Lakes, in taking the first steps toward reopening the economy. Construction, manufacturing and wholesale businesses will be able to get back to work beginning Friday.
"Phased reopening does not mean the problem has gone away," Cuomo said during a press briefing at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. "It means we have controlled the problem through our actions."
There were 157 additional coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday, the governor added.
"We're basically right back to where we were before we started this horrific situation," Cuomo said.
The governor cautioned New Yorkers "not underestimate this virus" as cases of COVID-19-related rare inflammatory condition connected to affecting kids and young adults continue to grow.
State officials are now monitoring more than 110 cases of the mysterious "toxic shock"-like condition.
As more parts of the state meet the metrics to reopen, local governments must be prepared to take the lead on enforcing rules about which businesses can open and keep an eye on health and supply indicators to guide their actions, Cuomo added.
"Daily monitoring of numbers and daily monitoring of numbers and daily monitoring of numbers are the first three priorities," he said.
New York City has only met four of the seven benchmarks to reopen as the city and surrounding suburbs have been the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S.
The total number of hospitalizations and intubations in the state continued to fall, and number of new coronavirus cases is "much, much better than it was."
Cuomo again called on Washington to provide relief funding to state and local governments, saying the state needs at $60 billion to make up for lost revenue as the economy was shuttered.
He offered support for a $3 trillion relief bill passed by the House that includes about $1 trillion for state and local governments and restores the State and Local Tax _ or SALT _ deduction. He said restoring the SALT deduction would be one of the best thing that could happen to the state in terms of recovery.
The governor also said he spoke to President Donald Trump earlier in the day and commended the commander in chief for cutting red tape and expediting federal funds for the MTA.
