Gov. Andrew Cuomo says car and race tracks in New York can reopen with no fans

ALBANY, N.Y. — In another step toward reopening its economy going into the summer, New York will allow horse racing tracks and Watkins Glen International car track to reopen with the coronavirus outbreak easing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.

But the Democrat was quick to add a caveat: “No crowds. No fans.”

At his daily briefing, Cuomo said he could even envision a return of Major League Baseball in New York, also without fans. “If it works economically, that would be great,” he said.

Cuomo also announced that residents of suburban Westchester and Suffolk counties — two of the nation’s early hotspots — will again be eligible for elective surgeries and ambulatory care.

“There was a period where hospitals were dealing basically with covid patients,” he said. “We are past that period. If you need medical attention, if you need a medical procedure, you should get it.”

The announcements came as hospitalizations, new cases and deaths across the country’s hardest-hit state have continued to flatten or tick down, he said.

There were 157 deaths reported since Friday, encouraging news compared to early April when the daily death toll was topping 700. The state’s overall toll now stands at nearly 22,500.

But Cuomo cautioned that the state could see a rise in cases as the economy opens up. To avoid another spike, people will still need to take precautions like social distancing, he said.

“People are going to be coming out of their homes,” he said. “How do they act when they come out? … If people are smart you will see some increase in numbers, but you won’t see a spike.”

The first person to die in New Jersey from the new coronavirus disease was a longtime fixture in the harness racing industry. His death in March prompted the closure of Yonkers Raceway, a harness racing track near New York City.