ALBANY, N.Y. _ Memorial Day ceremonies honoring those who died while serving in the military will be allowed to go forward this weekend with special coronavirus-related limits, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.
Small gatherings paying tribute to service members will be limited to 10 or fewer attendees and vehicle-only parades will also be permitted, the governor said during a press briefing on Long Island.
It's an important tradition," Cuomo said. "We hope those ceremonies are broadcast or celebrated."
Cuomo said coronavirus hospitalizations continued to fall statewide and the capital region will join other parts of upstate in meeting the benchmarks needed to start reopening parts of the economy this week.
He noted that another 105 New Yorkers died Monday from the virus.
"We are back to where we started before this tragedy descended upon us," he said.
Cuomo touted the progress battling the disease on Long Island, saying that the region had previously been losing about 100 people per day to the disease and is now losing around 13.
"We saved many, many lives," he said.
The state is looking at a pilot program to allow visitors to return to hospitals, with the right precautions, Cuomo added.
"It is terrible to have someone in the hospital and then that person is isolated, not being able to see their family and friends," Cuomo said.
Cuomo again urged Congress to pass legislation that would deliver financial aid to state and local governments suffering from devastating revenue losses as the pandemic swept across the country.
He and fellow members of the National Governors Association are pushing lawmakers to provide at least $500 billion to states.
"In unison, we're saying to Washington, 'you need to pass funding for state and local governments,'" he said.
