New York City now alone in state in keeping economy closed

NEW YORK (AP) — Long Island became the latest region of New York to begin easing some restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo lobbied the president for help with transportation projects. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said efforts to fight the virus have left the city with a $9 billion budget deficit.

Other coronavirus-related developments Wednesday in New York:

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LONG ISLAND

The sprawling suburbs of Nassau and Suffolk counties, where at least 4,000 people have been killed by the virus, were given approval Tuesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to begin reopening parts of their economy after nonessential businesses were shuttered for two months.

Construction, manufacturing, agriculture and retail with curbside pickup will be permitted in the first phase of reopening. Several popular beaches on Long Island opened last weekend with new rules for reduced capacity and social distancing.

The easing of some restrictions on Long Island leaves New York City as the only part of the state that has yet to begin the reopening process. Under guidelines set by Cuomo, reopening is tied to metrics including hospital capacity and trends in fatality rates.

New infections have slowed throughout the state but not stopped. More than 1,000 New Yorkers tested positive as of Tuesday.

The state reported Tuesday that the virus has claimed an additional 74 lives in New York, for a total of more than 23,600.

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CUOMO TO WASHINGTON

Cuomo lobbied President Donald Trump in Washington for help with massive New York City transportation projects and accused top Republicans of “abusing” states hardest hit by COVID-19 by opposing more aid.

The Democratic governor wants to move quickly on billions of dollars' worth of infrastructure projects to jump-start...