NEW YORK — New York State is seeing new COVID-19 daily hospitalizations below 1,000 for the first time since March.
As the numbers continue to drop, the state is beginning to move forward to reopen the economy beginning May 15th.
Tuesday while speaking in Syracuse, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of the New York Forward Reopening Advisory Board.
"Today we are announcing an advisory board of statewide business leaders, academic leaders, civic leaders who are advising us on just this and they have been for weeks and I want to thank them very much" said Cuomo.
The list includes more than 100 business, community and civic leaders from industries across the state.
On that list are eight representatives from Western New York. They include officials from:
- Service Employees International Union
- Buffalo State College
- Delaware North
- M&T Bank
- Pegula Sports and Entertainment
- Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
- Wegmans
- Buffalo Urban League
"I am honored to be able to serve as one of the representatives from this area" said Buffalo Urban League President Brenda McDuffie. "Because I am also serving on the county task force that is doing very similar type work."
McDuffie said the board meets through video conferencing trying to answer some of the tough questions about the states economic recovery.
"We are looking at again, how do we protect the state, the people of New York State" said McDuffie."How do we stop the spread of this devastating virus? And how do we begin to reopen and have economic recovery?"
M&T Bank Chair and CEO Rene Jones is also on the board.
“As a community-focused financial institution — the largest in Upstate New York — we have unique insights about how the pandemic is affecting local families, nonprofits and businesses, including their employees and customers," Jones said. "I’ll be bringing those diverse insights and perspectives, from both inside and outside the bank, on the best ways to return to a new normal.”
You can view the full list of members on the reopening advisory board in the document below: