NY ON PAUSE Extended

At 4:00 p.m., the Times Union reported that Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order on Friday extending the statewide shutdown for another month: "New York State on 'Pause' extended to June 7." The article does indicate that regions that achieve the benchmarks announced earlier this week may be permitted to reopen earlier. Those benchmarks are:

• A 14-day decline in hospitalizations and hospital deaths (or fewer than 15 new hospitalizations and five deaths in a three-day average);
• New hospitalizations remain less than two per 100,000 residents on a three-day average;
• Hospitals maintain 30 percent vacancy of their bed capacity for any resurgence, including intensive care units;
• Monthly COVID-19 testing of at least 30 of every 1,000 residents in a region;
• At least 30 "contact tracers" per 100,000 residents;
• Hospitals in each region must have a 90-day stockpile of personal protective equipement (PPE).