Western New York can begin restarting its economy, says Cuomo

NEW YORK - Western New York, including the city of Buffalo, met the state's coronavirus containment goals and can begin to reopen its economy, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

Hospitals will be able to schedule elective surgeries as the region enters the first phase of reopening on Tuesday, but gatherings such as church services and sports events will still be banned, Cuomo said.

“Personal disclosure — I want to watch the Buffalo Bills," said Cuomo, who held Monday's briefing in Buffalo. "But I’m still objective, I’m acting as governor.”

Most of upstate New York will have started reopening by the end of this week, but it will likely be weeks before New York City and its suburbs meet metrics for reopening including the availability of hospital beds and the hiring of enough contact tracers to contain the spread of the virus.

As part of the reopening, judges and staff members will return courthouses in 30 upstate counties starting this week, Cuomo said.

The governor said 106 people died of COVID-19 statewide on Sunday, the lowest number since late March.

Cuomo's own COVID-19 test, taken at his daily briefing on Sunday, was negative, he said.