New York's mid-Hudson region is on track to begin reopening on Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference on Saturday, and Long Island is on track to follow on Wednesday.

The governor said both regions have continued to meet metrics, including declining daily death tolls.

Cuomo said the mid-Hudson region needs to complete a certain number of contact-tracer training that is happening over the holiday weekend. He said Long Island is also expected to complete necessary training for tracers.

The update on the regions, which were among the hardest-hit by the novel coronavirus in the state, came as New York's daily death toll dipped below 100. The governor reported 84 deaths in the past 24 hours.

-The governor is giving his daily briefing from the governor's residence, the New York State Executive Mansion, a stone's throw from the state Capitol. "When the COVID virus takes a day off, we'll take a day off," Cuomo said on working from home today.

-Cuomo says there continues to be good news in the numbers - hospitalizations, intubations, new cases are all down.

-84 lives were lost in New York the last 24 hours. "Still a tragedy, no doubt," Cuomo said, but added that's it's still overall good news that the daily toll is down. Cuomo said it's a sign of "real progress" that the daily toll is under 100, though it's still heartbreaking for the families who have lost loved ones.

 

-The Mid-Hudson region has met criteria including numbers of deaths; he says the only open item is training the contact tracers. They need to train an additional 857 tracers. He says the training can be performed over the holiday weekend and the mid-Hudson is expected to begin to reopen Tuesday. He said Long Island is also on track and is expected to reopen Wednesday. 

-The governor urged people to get testing, adding that people who have previously tested negative with a dignostic test can be tested again if they are now showing symptoms.

-"The masks work," Cuomo said, urging New Yorkers to continue to wear face coverings.

-The winner of a mask covering ad campaign competition will be announced next week; the governor urged people to go online and vote for the five finalists.