New York State continues with phased opening; school openings remain unclear

New York State continues with phased opening; school openings remain unclearOn Tuesday, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that malls will be allowed to reopen Friday in New York State under certain conditions while the state will decide by early August if schools can reopen in September. The Governor said malls would need special air filtering systems, MERV-13 or highest available, to be allowed to reopen. Behind Governor Cuomo is a mountain installation representing the curve of COVID-19 infections in the state, starting from the first day of infections, March 1, to the peak number of infections / deaths on Day 42, culminating to the gradual decline of cases by Day 111 that continues today to Day 130. Photo credit: Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.

Throughout the past week, the governor has provided updates on phased openings, and continues to urge caution as spikes in coronavirus cases in other states raises concern. As of Friday, July 10, travel advisories into New York State remained in place for those traveling from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.

And while the governor continues to ease restrictions in New York State, the big question is the reopening of schools this fall. Earlier in the week, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the New York State Department of Health, in consultation with the Reimagine Education Advisory Council and others, is finalizing guidance on the possible reopening of schools in September; guidance that will be finalized on July 13.

New York State previously directed all school districts to develop reopening plans by July 31, and in a release put out last week by the governor’s office it was noted that a decision on whether to reopen schools in September has not been made yet.

In the governor’s transcript from his briefing on Tuesday, he stated, “I am not going to ask anyone to put their child in a situation that I would not put my child in, and that’s how I make these decisions. If it’s not safe for my child, it’s not safe for your child. So, we’ll get the data and we’ll make that decision in August. But just to be clear, the federal government has no legal authority when it comes to school openings.”

This news came on the same day that Governor Cuomo announced that casinos and movie theaters would remain closed, and that the New York State Fair and all county fairs would be cancelled.

The governor also announced that New York State would make industry recommendations on the use of air filtration technology to potentially eliminate the spread of COVID-19 through air conditioning systems. 

During a briefing last week, Governor Cuomo stated, “As evidence emerges that COVID-19 spread is linked more to airborne transmission than to surface area transmission, New York State is studying filters, their compatibility with existing air systems, the expense of modifications to air conditioning systems and other factors.” 

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