Afternoon Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on August 24, 2020
Governor Cuomo says that lower-risk sports such as tennis, soccer, cross country, field hockey, and swimming can begin competing on September 21 in all regions. Teams will not be allowed to travel, practice, or play outside of their region or contiguous counties until October. Higher-risk sports, including football, wrestling, rugby, and ice hockey, will be allowed to practice, but are not yet authorized to play.
Areas of Western NY are being monitored closely as they are testing higher than 1 percent in COVID testing. Officials point to a steel plant in Erie County and a food processing plant in Chautauqua County as clusters of cases. Higher numbers of seasonal laborers are also apparently testing more positively.
With gyms, restaurants, churches and soon to be schools opened up several amusement park owners are questioning why they haven’t been allowed to open yet. Six flags and other amusement park chains including Disney World and Hershey Park have had parks open in many other states with social distancing and mask wearing as well as constant sanitizing of rides without any outbreaks being linked to the parks. Park owners in New York state say that they have put in place every precaution that New York State authorities said needed to be done before they could reopen, spending tens of thousands of dollars, and still the parks are dark and empty. No information or announcements have come from Albany.
