Weather: A chilly morning, in the 40s. Later, sunny and warming toward 60, but gusty.
Alternate-side parking: Suspended through Sunday. Meters are in effect.
Three upstate New York regions are ready to reopen.
In the most concrete step yet toward bringing New York State back to life, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Monday that three upstate regions might partly reopen this weekend, with limited construction, manufacturing and curbside retail.
“We start a new chapter today in many ways,” Mr. Cuomo said at his daily news briefing, held in Rochester. “It’s a new phase, if you will.”
It has been nearly 10 weeks since the first case of the coronavirus was confirmed in the state. And while the virus has killed more than 26,000 people in New York and sickened hundreds of thousands people, New York City and its suburbs account for most of that toll. Upstate New York has recorded far fewer cases and deaths.
Mr. Cuomo, laid out a detailed plan for reopening last week, requiring each of 10 regions to meet thresholds in seven health-related areas. The metrics include beefing up testing and contact tracing, ensuring adequate hospital capacity and showing sustained declines in virus cases and deaths.
The three regions poised to reopen are the Finger Lakes, including Rochester; the Southern Tier, which borders Pennsylvania; and the Mohawk Valley, west of Albany.
[Get the latest news and updates on the coronavirus in the New York region.]
Democrats tell the national party that the primary will proceed.
New York State will hold its presidential primary on June 23, the state’s Democratic Party told national party leaders on Monday.
New York’s Board of Elections, citing public health concerns related to the coronavirus outbreak, had canceled the primary. But a federal judge ordered the primary restored to the June 23 ballot after the former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang sued to block the cancellation.
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and his supporters also opposed canceling the primary.
Supporters of Mr. Sanders, who suspended his campaign for the presidential nomination last month, can win key slots at the Democratic National Convention if he captures at least 15 percent of the vote statewide or in each congressional district.
[Coronavirus in New York: A map and the case count.]
N.Y.C. is likely to stay closed until June, the mayor says.
The ban on large gatherings in New York City and the widespread closing of nonessential businesses are unlikely to end before June, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday.
“June is when we’re potentially going to be able to make some real changes if we can continue our progress,” he said at his daily news briefing.
City and state data have suggested that New York has made progress in containing the outbreak of the virus and in reducing its transmission. Mr. de Blasio specifically cited decreases in the number of those being hospitalized with the virus and the percentage of people testing positive in the city.
But he said that such progress must continue before officials would consider any reopening.
What we’re reading
NYC Ferry routes have cut service by 30 percent and are experiencing at least an 80 percent drop in ridership. [Gothamist]
A taxi rescue plan calls for slashing the value of medallions to $250,000. [New York Post]
Andrew Yang, the former Democratic presidential candidate, said he was teaming up with an outreach group to give $500 a month to 20 New Yorkers from the Hudson Valley for the next five years. [Daily News]
And finally: ‘Being Princeton’s first black valedictorian is very empowering’
The Times’s Corey Kilgannon writes:
Princeton University has announced the first black valedictorian in its 274-year history.
Nicholas Johnson, who was named valedictorian of Princeton’s Class of 2020, called the achievement especially significant given the school’s struggle in recent years to confront its troubled history with slavery.
He said he was stunned when he learned last week that he was the university’s first black valedictorian.
“Being Princeton’s first black valedictorian is very empowering, especially given its historical ties to the institution of slavery,” Mr. Johnson, 22, said.
He added that he felt the university, as a primarily white institution, had “very much been a leader amongst its peer institutions” and “very critical and cognizant about its ties to slavery.”
“They’ve taken very deliberate steps to reconcile things,” he said.
With Princeton’s in-person graduation ceremony postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, a virtual one will be held on May 31. The university plans to have an in-person ceremony for the Class of 2020 next spring, in May 2021.
Mr. Johnson, who is from Montreal, majored in operations research and financial engineering.
He wrote his senior thesis on developing algorithms to design a community-based preventive health intervention to decrease obesity in Canada. He also researched applications to help impose strict social distancing to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
It’s Tuesday — aim high.
Metropolitan Diary: The vet’s office
Dear Diary:
My usual morning routine when I leave my building is to turn right at the vet’s office on the corner and then head up the block to the High Street subway station to catch the A or the C.
One morning a while ago as I made my way to the train, I saw a man and woman walking toward me. The man was slightly ahead of the woman, and he was grimacing.
I could tell from the woman’s face that she had been crying. As we crossed paths, she caught up to him and wrapped her arm through his.
That’s when I noticed that he was carrying an empty pet carrier.
— Ryan Boyd
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