As nation approaches 100,000 dead, NY continues downtrend

NEW YORK (AP) — The daily coronavirus death toll increased slightly though the trend continues down, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday.

On Saturday, 109 people died across the state from COVID-19, the Democrat said during his daily press conference. There were 84 deaths on Friday.

The daily death toll has hovered around 100 over the past week, a significant drop from the peak in early April when the number seemed more likely to hit 1,000 than fall below 100. It peaked at 799 deaths on April 8.

Cuomo said the state was now “decidedly in the reopening phase.” And he noted that the state's curve was going down even as many places in the country were rising in deaths.

The latest tally from Cuomo came as the nation's death toll from the coronavirus was approaching 100,000 on the eve of Memorial Day.

Here are the latest coronavirus-related developments in New York:

CHILLY BEACHES

Mother nature played its part in social distancing Sunday, providing chilly temperatures and some clouds that discouraged people from flocking to beaches throughout the state.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Long Island will reopen Wednesday. He delivered his daily news conference from the shore in Wantagh on Long Island as an American flag flapped and deck chairs sat empty behind him.

He noted that masks will be mandatory on the Long Island Railroad, which will be disinfected daily.

Temperatures in the mid-50s in the morning on Long Island beaches were expected to reach the mid-60s by mid-afternoon, comfortable enough for those in light clothing but less so for the bathing suit-clad crowd.

State beaches were open, including Jones Beach, Sunken Meadow, Hither Hills and Robert Moses.

Campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks were set to open statewide on...