Thursday evening New York State officials announced that phase two of reopening is being delayed to allow for additional review of data related to COVID-19. Tompkins County, as part of the Southern Tier, was slated to enter phase two on Friday 5/29 according to previous announcements from the State.
County officials participated in a daily regional control room call where State officials confirmed these details. Local officials were told that guidance on phase two will be released in conjunction with Governor Cuomo’s Friday press briefing.
County Administrator Jason Molino stated, “Tompkins County residents have done everything expected of them and should all be proud of efforts thus far. Because of these efforts we have kept the spread low and we’ve saved lives.”
There was no further information on what additional data is being reviewed by the State. State officials expressed that the Governor has asked public health experts to review state-wide data.
Public Health Director Frank Kruppa “Keeping our public healthy and safe continues to be our most important goal. We are confident about our local infection and hospitalization rates staying low.” Kruppa continued, “We will continue to work with our community and work to keep the public informed while we move through the process of reopening.”
Tompkins County Residents are encouraged to tune into Governor Cuomo’s daily press conference tomorrow.
Local resources and guidance on reopening can be found here.