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NYC begins phase 4 of reopening
Coronavirus cases in New York City remain low. Kayla Mamelak reports.
NEW YORK - New York City entered Phase 4 of its reopening plan Monday which includes resuming some outdoor entertainment including zoos, professional sports with no audiences and media production.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the city would see a limited version of the fourth phase of the statewide reopening process and warned that New York's progress is fragile as COVID-19 cases surge elsewhere in the country.
“I feel like we're standing on a beach and we're looking out at the sea and we see the second wave building in the distance, so I want all New Yorkers to be on high alert,” the Democratic governor told reporters during a telephone briefing.
Malls, museums and restaurant dining rooms will stay shuttered in the nation's biggest city.
On Thursday, Cuomo announced that restaurants and bars across New York can no longer allow walk-up bar service, or serve alcohol to people who aren't buying food. A new "three strikes" policy was also announced that requires bars and restaurants to close after they receive three citations for failing to follow the rules to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, including mask-wearing and keeping people 6 feet (2 meters) apart.
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Phase 4 in NYC
Mayor Bill de Blasio says low-risk outdoor entertainment, professional sports with no audiences and media production including movie, music and TV will be allowed to resume during phase 4.
Several regions of New York are already in Phase 4 including the Capital Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mid-Hudson, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Southern Tier, and Western New York.
Fitness centers, malls and museums will not reopen in NYC during Phase 4.
New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art had announced plans Wednesday to open August 29.
“I think they can plan to reopen. And then we’ll see what the facts say,” Cuomo said.
There were 776 new coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 405,551.
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New York enters Phase Four on Monday
Every region of New York State will enter Phase 4 of reopening on Monday, a long five months after the day the state shut down.
With the Associated Press