Coronavirus Updates: New York, New Jersey deaths tick up, NYC beaches to reopen

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

NYC beaches to reopen Wednesday for swimming after delay

That includes city-run beaches and those that are federally controlled.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Deaths in New York state were slightly up Monday, with 13 new fatalities reported, but metrics overall remained at all-time lows for the state since the coronavirus pandemic started.

Meanwhile, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have doubled the number of states for incoming travelers to undertake a 14-day quarantine from eight to 16.

New York City beaches are set to reopen for swimming Wednesday, but Rye Playland announced it will not be opening for the season.

NEW YORK CITY

Lifeguards are typically on duty starting Memorial Day weekend, but the opening of beaches was delayed due to the pandemic. That changes Wednesday, when city-run beaches and those that are federally controlled will reopen.

The National Park Service announced it would also restaff Jacob Riis Park with lifeguards, though parking at federal parks is reduced to 50% capacity.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said while outdoor dining is working in New York City, he confirmed Monday that the reopening of indoor dining may be paused due to coronavirus concerns.

Raw Video: Mayor Bill de Blasio discusses concerns which could delay the restart of indoor dining in New York City.

The city also plans to open 15 pools by August 1.

NEW YORK STATE

Governor Cuomo announced Tuesday the slight rise in deaths, with 13 new fatalities reported. Of the 52,025 tests conducted in the state Monday, 524, or 1%, were positive.

He joined with New Jersey and Connecticut in adding eight stages to the list of places where travelers must quarantine if visiting the Tri-State area. The states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah.

Cuomo also confirmed 524 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 393,454 confirmed cases in New York State. The Western New York region began Phase 4 Tuesday.

After discovering packed crowds in certain parts of the city before entering Phase 2, Cuomo announced he will send in monitors from the state police, health department and liquor authority to report back what they encounter before he makes a decision on indoor dining.

Rye Playland announced that it will not open this season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

NEW JERSEY

FEMA is closing two of its testing sites in New Jersey.

Indoor shopping malls in New Jersey were back in business Monday, but Governor Phil Murphy announced the state is pausing plans to allow outdoor dining. It was supposed to begin Thursday but will be postponed, with no new date set.

Gov. Phil Murphy said NJ has halted its indoor dining restart.

Murphy also banned drinking and smoking at Atlantic City casinos when they reopen Thursday at limited capacity. As a result, the Borgata announced it would delay reopening.

New Jersey reported 461 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total to 171,667. An additional 47 deaths brings the state toll to 13,181.

CONNECTICUT

Gov. Ned Lamont said he's watching the rising number of COVID-19 cases in other parts of the country and is considering whether to possibly delay Connecticut's third phase of reopening, noting it depends on what's happening here and elsewhere.

Indoor private gatherings capped at 50 people, outdoor private gatherings up to 250 people and outdoor event venues, such as amphitheaters and race tracks at 50% capacity, are all scheduled to be allowed sometime in mid-July. Meanwhile, bars and nightclubs remain shuttered, as well as large indoor event spaces.

"Obviously, if I saw something in Massachusetts or New York that was very disturbing, it would certainly give me pause," he said. "And what I see in in Arizona, Texas, and Florida, it shows you that things could change very quickly."

FAUCI'S WARNING

The U.S. is "going in the wrong direction" with the coronavirus surging badly enough that Dr. Anthony Fauci told senators Tuesday some regions are putting the entire country at risk - just as schools and colleges are wrestling with how to safely reopen.

With about 40,000 new cases being reported a day, Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, said he "would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around."

WATCH EYEWITNESS TO A PANDEMIC

The sense of doom grew, especially after March 1, when the first confirmed case arrived in Manhattan. Soon, there was a hotspot in New Rochelle, and small curfews and containment zones across the area offered a hint of a frightening future we still thought we could avoid.