Governor Cuomo outlines school openings, provides COVID update

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced summer school will be conducted through distance learning this year to help reduce the risk of spread. Meal programs and child care services for essential employees will continue. School districts must also develop a plan for students with disabilities who participate in extended summer school year programs over the summer to ensure they receive instruction.

The state will make a determination on the fall semester and issue guidelines in June so schools and colleges can start to plan for a number of scenarios. K-12 schools and colleges will submit plans for approval to the state in July.

Governor Cuomo also announced the state is extending sales tax interest and penalty relief through June 22, 2020. The state previously provided relief through May 19 for returns due March 20. This extension could provide interest and penalty relief for up to 89,000 vendors who had returns due in March. These small businesses file their taxes quarterly and annually, and have taxable receipts of less than $300,000 in the previous quarter.

The Governor also announced the state is currently investigating 157 reported cases in New York where children – predominantly school-aged – are experiencing symptoms similar to an atypical Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome possibly due to COVID-19. The illness has taken the lives of three young New Yorkers, including a 5-year old in New York City, a 7-year old in Westchester County and a teenager in Suffolk County. To date, 13 countries and 25 other states have reported cases of this COVID-related illness in children.

Governor Cuomo also announced that Rockland County is 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 51 counties can now resume elective surgeries (four counties do not have hospitals, to include Tioga County).

The Governor also encouraged New Yorkers to call the Coronavirus Hotline at 1-888-364-3065 if they believe their employer is not following PPE, hygiene or social distancing guidelines as more businesses begin to reopen.

The Governor also reminded New Yorkers to look out for calls from “NYS Contact Tracing” and to answer those calls as the state begins to implement its contact tracing program.

“As we focus on reopening, schools pose unique complications – they have high density and transportation issues causing a greater risk of spread unless protective measures are fully in place,” Governor Cuomo said. “Now we have another issue that is complicating the situation even further with COVID-related illness in children. We are continuing to study this new illness and learn more, but for now summer school will remain closed for in-class teaching and will be conducted through distance learning this year.” 

Finally, the Governor confirmed 2,088 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 356,458 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 356,458 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	1,700	18
Allegany	44	0
Broome	451	15
Cattaraugus	71	1
Cayuga	72	4
Chautauqua	58	8
Chemung	134	0
Chenango	118	0
Clinton	94	0
Columbia	355	5
Cortland	36	0
Delaware	71	2
Dutchess	3,745	21
Erie	5,270	139
Essex	36	2
Franklin	19	1
Fulton	186	2
Genesee	188	4
Greene	215	0
Hamilton	5	0
Herkimer	93	0
Jefferson	71	0
Lewis	18	0
Livingston	114	3
Madison	294	2
Monroe	2,530	65
Montgomery	77	2
Nassau	39,487	119
Niagara	880	22
NYC	195,675	1,125
Oneida	817	15
Onondaga	1,771	53
Ontario	176	6
Orange	10,092	49
Orleans	174	3
Oswego	92	2
Otsego	67	0
Putnam	1,175	7
Rensselaer	456	3
Rockland	12,877	46
Saratoga	440	2
Schenectady	638	5
Schoharie	49	1
Schuyler	10	0
Seneca	52	0
St. Lawrence	195	0
Steuben	238	1
Suffolk	38,553	142
Sullivan	1,281	14
Tioga	117	3
Tompkins	145	0
Ulster	1,584	13
Warren	241	6
Washington	222	1
Wayne	103	0
Westchester	32,673	156
Wyoming	79	0
Yates	34	0