Horse racing tracks statewide and Watkins Glen International Racetrack to open as of June 1, virtually

During the state’s COVID-19 pandemic briefing, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced horse racing tracks across the state and Watkins Glen International Racetrack will be allowed to open without fans as of June 1. This includes harness racing at Tioga Downs in Nichols, N.Y.

During the press brief on Saturday, Governor Cuomo noted that the state will issue guidance on how they can safely reopen in the coming week.

Governor Cuomo also announced Westchester and Suffolk Counties are now eligible to resume elective surgeries and ambulatory care. The Governor previously announced that the state will allow elective outpatient treatments to resume in counties and hospitals without significant risk of COVID-19 surge in the near term, and a total of 49 counties can now resume elective surgeries:

 

Albany	Herkimer	Rensselaer
Allegany	Jefferson	Saratoga
Broome	Lewis	Schenectady
Cattaraugus	Livingston	Schoharie
Cayuga	Madison	Schuyler
Chautauqua	Monroe	St. Lawrence
Chemung	Montgomery	Steuben
Chenango	Niagara	Suffolk
Clinton	Oneida	Sullivan
Columbia	Onondaga	Tompkins
Cortland	Ontario	Ulster
Delaware	Orange	Warren
Dutchess	Orleans	Wayne
Essex	Oswego	Westchester
Franklin	Otsego	Wyoming
Fulton	Putnam	Yates
Genesee

 

The Governor also called on the U.S. Senate to pass the coronavirus relief bill that was passed by the House last night. The bill includes $500 billion for states and $375 billion for locals; Medicaid funding for the most vulnerable; increased SNAP food assistance; 100 percent FEMA federal assistance; funding for testing; and repeals SALT to help states most affected by COVID-19.

 

“The numbers have been steadily decreasing and we’re now right about where we were when we started, but we want to make sure we don’t go back to the hell that we’ve gone through,” Governor Cuomo said. “We have a smart phased reopening plan that has been reviewed by experts, and half of the state is in the process of reopening. Now we’re getting a little more nuanced in our analysis and starting to look for economic activities that we can start without crowds and gatherings – in this state we can do that with horse racing tracks and car racing at Watkins Glen and we’re going to do that starting June 1.”

 

Finally, the Governor confirmed 2,419 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 348,232 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 348,232 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

 

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	1,572	34
Allegany	44	0
Broome	413	23
Cattaraugus	65	1
Cayuga	63	2
Chautauqua	48	3
Chemung	134	1
Chenango	115	2
Clinton	91	6
Columbia	338	5
Cortland	34	1
Delaware	68	1
Dutchess	3,527	29
Erie	4,867	85
Essex	32	0
Franklin	18	1
Fulton	148	3
Genesee	178	3
Greene	211	2
Hamilton	5	0
Herkimer	91	4
Jefferson	71	0
Lewis	13	1
Livingston	107	1
Madison	258	2
Monroe	2,192	101
Montgomery	75	3
Nassau	39,033	169
Niagara	770	27
NYC	191,600	1,243
Oneida	751	38
Onondaga	1,469	29
Ontario	139	6
Orange	9,879	54
Orleans	163	16
Oswego	83	3
Otsego	67	0
Putnam	1,127	6
Rensselaer	438	10
Rockland	12,688	51
Saratoga	423	2
Schenectady	613	10
Schoharie	47	0
Schuyler	8	0
Seneca	50	1
St. Lawrence	192	0
Steuben	233	2
Suffolk	37,942	223
Sullivan	1,217	28
Tioga	112	2
Tompkins	138	2
Ulster	1,537	26
Warren	228	0
Washington	218	1
Wayne	92	1
Westchester	32,097	154
Wyoming	78	1
Yates	22	0