Long Island’s malls can reopen on Friday. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had resisted opening malls across the state, but says they can reopen with safety improvements in place.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran says mall operators have plans to limit capacity, and that buildings will have filters.
“It’s with the filters, I think that makes a lot of sense. The mall operators take that very seriously, at least one I spoke to is a major operator, said that he had put the filters in. So I’m really happy to report this, this is great news for our economy, great news for our families.”
Long Island entered its final phase of reopening this week. Museums, public gardens, zoos, historical sites and aquariums are among the businesses that can reopen.
But gyms, catering facilities, bowling alleys and movie theaters still don’t know when they can open their doors.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone says the county has worked with local gyms to establish standard guidelines for reopening.
“We need to get people moving again. We need to get gyms open again. Speaking as someone who’s done long-distance races, this isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon.”
Measures to reopen gyms would include social distancing, individual sessions and class-based reservations only.
Wednesday was Bellone's final daily briefing on the coronavirus.
