© 2024 WSHU
NPR News & Classical Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We received reports that some iPhone users with the latest version of iOS (v17.4) cannot play audio via the Grove Persistent Player.
While we work to fix the issue, we recommend downloading the WSHU app.

Long Island Begins 'Smart Reopening'

Darron Cummings
/
AP

Long Island is now in phase one of reopening its economy. That leaves New York City the last area still on pause due to the pandemic.

Some of the businesses getting back to work include construction, curbside or in-store pickup retail, some agriculture and manufacturing. 

Governor Andrew Cuomo says he understands the excitement around reopening the economy, but warns New Yorkers have to be smart. 

“We don’t want to just reopen the economy, we want to have a really smart reopening, we want to watch those numbers as we go forward, and we want to reopen the economy to make it stronger than it was before.”

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran says phase two will include fully reopening retail, as well as hair salons and in-person real estate meetings.

“Of course that’s going to look different. We’re going to have the PPE and the sanitizing, and perhaps they won’t allow as many people into the shop as before, but it will be back.”

Restaurants will have to wait for phase three. 

Some Republican lawmakers in eastern Long Island have criticized the governor for leaving the state legislature out of reopening discussions. They want New York to resume business faster.

Individuals and business owners with questions about the reopening can go to the Empire State Development website.

Read the latest on WSHU’s coronavirus coverage here.

Do you have questions you’d like WSHU to answer in local coverage of the coronavirus? Let us know via this survey.

SG_CuomoReopen_200527.mp3

Jay Shah is a former Long Island bureau chief at WSHU.
Related Content