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Coronavirus Updates: New York Professional Sports Leagues Can Start Training Camps, Cuomo Says

By

Jen Chung

and

Sydney Pereira

Published May 24, 2020

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Yankee Stadium on March 26th.

 

John Woike/AP/Shutterstock

By

Jen Chung

and

Sydney Pereira

Published May 24, 2020

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This is our daily update of breaking COVID-19 news for Sunday, May 24th, 2020. Previous daily updates can be found here, and up-to-date statistics are here.

Read our guide to understanding New York on PAUSE, NY's stay-at-home order, as well as what the upstate reopening means; a look at preparing for the spread of coronavirus is here, and if you have lingering questions about the virus, here is our regularly updated coronavirus FAQ. Here are some local and state hotlines for more information: NYC: 311; NY State Hotline: 888-364-3065; NJ State Hotline: 800-222-1222.

Here's what you need to know:

1:45 p.m.: Professional sports leagues are allowed to start training camps as soon as possible, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced during a press briefing at Jones Beach on Sunday.

"We are working and encouraging all sports teams to start their training camps as soon as possible and we'll work with them to make sure that can happen," Cuomo said.

The governor wants sports teams to fully begin competing again without an audience as well if it's possible, saying, "Work out the economics if you can." In April, the governor said he had spoken with sports teams' owners about the feasibility of bringing back sports, though declined to say which owners he spoke with.

"We want people to be able to watch sports," Cuomo said. "It gives people something to do. It's a return to normalcy."

The governor also said veterinary practices are able to fully reopen beginning Tuesday. Previously, under the state's stay-at-home policy, veterinary practices were deemed essential, so many have been open to care for sick animals and emergencies.

“What this means now is that we can now book routine visits and elective cases,” Dr. Peter Soboroff of New York Cat Hospital in Manhattan told us.

State campgrounds will open beginning Monday, the governor added.

In New York, 109 people died of COVID-19 on Saturday, a slight uptick from 84 new deaths the day prior, the governor said. Of those deaths, 82 were in hospitals and 27 in nursing homes. The death toll has reached 23,391 in NY.

L.I. Health Officials Warn Against Swimming At 18 Beaches After Heavy Rainfall

After a rainy Saturday, beach season will begin on Sunday, with clear, but cool weather expected. This year, trips to the beach are completely different now, with restrictions in New York and New Jersey, ranging from limits on the number of beach-goers (in order to maintain social distancing) to, in the case New York City's beaches, not being able to swim in the water at all.

Listen to Jake Offenhartz and Karen Yi discuss the new beach rules on WNYC:

Local forecasts say the high on Sunday will be 65 degrees, while Monday is expected to be at 70 degrees—Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday are supposed to hit 80 degrees. Also, the Saturday rainfall actually prompted Nassau County health authorities to warn against swimming at 18 beaches due to elevated levels of bacteria.

The beaches are: Centre Island Sound, Ransom Beach, Soundside Beach, and Stehli Beach in Bayville; Morgan Sound and Pryibil Beach in Glen Cove; Tappen Beach in Glenwood Landing; Creek Club in Lattingtown; Laurel Hollow Beach in Laurel Hollow; Theodore Roosevelt Beach in Oyster Bay; North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington; Sea Cliff Village Beach in Sea Cliff; Hewlett Point Beach in East Rockaway; Island Park Beach in Island Park; and Biltmore Beach Club and Philip Healey Beach in Massapequa. The beach advisory will be lifted on Monday at 7 a.m., dependent on bacteria levels; call 516-227-9700 for updated beach closure information.

NYC residents are technically banned from some Long Island beaches, as Long Island elected officials are worried city denizens will flock to L.I. to swim. This prompted City Council Member Keith Powers to tweet, "In response to Long Island closing beaches to NYC residents, we have no choice but to permanently cancel SantaCon and also limit St. Patrick’s Day festivities to only NYC residents."

While discussing the downstate beaches on Long Island that are open to NYC residents—Jones Beach, Sunken Meadows, Hither Hills, Robert Moses—on Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo reminded New Yorkers of the 50% capacity limits. "There is such a demand in the New York City area to get to a beach, to get some respite. It's Memorial Day weekend, people want to get out of the homes... those beaches may reach capacity at 10, 11 o'clock in the morning. So, that's something to take into consideration," he said. Also: "I'm a Queens boy. It's a ride to these beaches. And you don't want to take that ride and get all the way out there and find out the beach is already closed."

Masks are also required when it's not possible to maintain social distance. The NY state beaches are open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., with swimming from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A man drowned off the Rockaways on Friday, leading to more calls for Mayor Bill de Blasio to allow swimming this summer; no decision has been made yet but lifeguards are reportedly being trained for a possible June opening.

However, in Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, 2020 Memorial Day weekend appeared to be like any other Memorial Day weekend:

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coronavirus

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covid-19 updates

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Read more

Sydney Pereira

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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