‘Worst Is Over,’ Cuomo Says as States Snub Trump on Restarting Economy – The New York Times

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Nearly 19,000 people remain hospitalized in New York, the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, but the rate of hospitalizations has slowed markedly over the last week, and the 671 deaths announced on Monday marked the lowest one-day death toll in a week.

But even with the numbers plateauing, Mr. Cuomo said, the situation could worsen if New Yorkers ignored social distancing measures.

“I believe the worst is over if we continue to be smart,” Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said during his daily briefing in Albany. “I believe we can start on the path to normalcy.”

With millions of people filing for unemployment benefits and tax revenues drying up, the governors from the seven Northeastern states said the objective was to gradually increase economic activity and the number of employees considered essential workers, while tracking closely the virus’s infection rate. They added that they needed to act in concert to prevent people from crossing state borders to shop or do business in states with looser restrictions.

The seven states together have recorded over 325,000 confirmed virus cases and more than 14,400 deaths, around 63 percent of the country’s total. The governors of those states sought to cast their action both as a sign of hope and as a recognition that they had to act on their own.

“Seeing as how we had the responsibility for closing the state down, I think we probably have the primary responsibility for opening it up,” said Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania. ”We’re simply saying it’s our responsibility to steer our way through these uncharted waters. And it’s our responsibility to figure out a way back.”

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/nyregion/new-york-coronavirus-reopen-plan.html

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