New York Coronavirus Cases Down To Lowest Since March; Illinois Also Had Fewer COVID-19 Deaths

New York state's battle with coronavirus is moving in the right direction as Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday case counts have been at its lowest since the pandemic hit in March.

There have only been 200 cases recorded on the day of his press briefing, a significant improvement from the days when New York had thousands of new cases daily.

On Monday, COVID-19 deaths were down to 73, after a death count of 96 the day before. While deaths are always tragic, Cuomo said New York is moving toward the "other side of the curve."

"Number of hospitalizations down, great news," Cuomo said, as he gave the most recent numbers. "Rolling average down, number of intubations down," adding, "In this absurd new reality, that is good news."

Cuomo once again thanked the healthcare staff in the frontlines who keep doing "a fantastic job," hence the dropping numbers.

The governor said Memorial Day Weekend was a pivot point for the United States as summer changes mindsets and lifestyles. However, this year's weekend holiday saw a limited number of people rushing to the beach.

With the declining number of coronavirus cases, Cuomo said New York can begin focusing on making solid plans for reopening the state.

"You look at what's happening across the country, it was never a question of reopen or not reopen. The answer was always reopen. The question was always how smart are you on this reopening?" Cuomo said.

Meanwhile, Illinois' coronavirus death toll has recorded its first week-over-week drop as the state prepares to shift to Phase 3 of its reopening plans Friday. Illinois Department of Public Health Dr. Ngozi Ezike said this is a "hopeful sign."

Gov. J.B. Pritzker also said this is great news for the state as bars, restaurants, salons, tattoo parlors and barbershops will be opening for Phase 3. The governor, however, reiterated the risk is still present so the public has to observe caution.

“Just because the numbers are moving in the right direction in the state of Illinois that does not mean that the virus has gone away, it’s still there,” Pritzker said.

Meanwhile, Pritzker added he expects the number of cases to spike following reports that some Illinois residents spent their Memorial Day Weekend at the Indiana Dunes in Wisconsin, which attracted big crowds.