BUFFALO, N.Y. — Western New York's hospitalization numbers dropped Wednesday after rising earlier in the week.
On Thursday evening, the lieutenant governor says the outlook for the region is optimistic if people keep to the measures that got us here.
"I'm expecting that unless there's a dramatic spike and the rate of contagion spreads uncontrollably, we will be able to get there," Kathy Hochul said during a Zoom news briefing on Thursday evening.
"But I can't do this on my own. I'm calling on everybody in Western New York. If you want to see this economy reopen, wear your mask, socially distance, and at some point this will all be a distant bad dream."
The lieutenant governor says more than 800 Western New York businesses have already reopened, and she expects that to rise.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Western New York met all metrics for reopening and entered Phase 1 on Tuesday. The region includes Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties.
Hochul on Sunday urged people to warn against getting too comfortable, even as the region's numbers improve, and more metrics are reached.
"If we start getting complacent and say, 'Well, we hit the metrics, we're all done,' that's not going to work," Hochul said.