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Half of New York's regions begin reopening; NYC prepares for summer lockdown

Pedestrians wear protective face masks as they walk on the sidewalk near Lincoln Center which remains closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City on Wednesday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Pedestrians wear protective face masks as they walk on the sidewalk near Lincoln Center which remains closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City on Wednesday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

May 15 (UPI) -- Half of New York state's 10 regions began reopening their economies Friday as New York City's mayor said local officials are formulating how to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic in upcoming hot summer weather.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, at his daily briefing in Albany, announced that five of the state's 10 regions have moved on from the restrictions of the statewide "NY Pause" order prohibiting all non-essential work.

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But while the upstate regions of Central New York, Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes, North Country and the Southern Tier are reopening Friday, non-essential businesses in New York City, its surrounding suburbs and several other areas will remain closed.

The Pause order was extended through May 28 for regions not meeting enough health criteria to allow for reopenings, but the areas can move on at any time if they meet them, Cuomo said.

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Cuomo also announced that he and the governors of neighboring New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware have agreed to a coordinated reopening of state-run beaches beginning May 22, the Friday before Memorial Day.

Beaches will be at 50 percent capacity and masks will be required when social distancing is not possible, he said.

Nationally, more than 1.42 million cases had been tabulated by Johns Hopkins University as of midday Friday. The U.S. death count stood at more than 86,000.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said city residents need to prepare for coronavirus-related restrictions to last into the start of the summer months.

"This is going to be a different summer than any summer we've experienced in the history of New York City," the mayor said Friday, warning that an easing of the current strict lockdown won't be possible until sometime in June at the earliest.

That means familiar summertime activities such as baseball games and beach outings won't be possible "for the foreseeable future" as high temperatures return.

De Blasio said that while under continued summer lockdown, the city's goals will include keeping vulnerable residents "cool and safe at home" and responding to power outages as quickly as possible.

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In Illinois, Cook County -- which encompasses the city of Chicago and many of its suburbs -- has bypassed the New York City borough of Queens as the hardest-hit county in the United States.

With more than 2,000 additional infections recorded Thursday, Cook County's count since the start of the pandemic rose to 58,457, pushing it past Queens' total of 58,084, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

With about 3 million more residents than Queens, Cook County has a lower per-capita rate of COVID-19, but the New York borough is far more densely populated, making it more difficult to control outbreaks through social distancing.

Even with the dubious distinction, the Chicago area is on track to move on to the next phase of a gradual reopening after its seven-day average of positive COVID-19 tests fell below 20 percent, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said.

In Michigan, a court hearing was set for Friday on a lawsuit filed by the state Legislature against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer seeking to overturn her executive order extending the state's COVID-19 emergency.

Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Diane Stephens was to hold a virtual hearing on the matter, in which Republican legislative leaders are challenging the Democratic governor's unilateral move last week extending the state of emergency through May 28.

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At issue in the hearing is a request by the legislative leaders to expedite the case.

"The Governor is acting pursuant to emergency powers that she does not have while eviscerating laws that she is charged to enforce," they claim in the motion.

Dozens of anti-lockdown protesters rallied at the state Capitol in Lansing on Thursday.

COVID-19 pandemic alters life in New York City

Mannequins with face masks and designer clothing fill a window at a Diane Von Furstenberg store in New York City on September 8, 2020. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

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