New York City is on track to lift coronavirus restrictions on June 8

New York City is “on track” to enter phase one of reopening on June 8, New York Governor Cuomo said on Friday as he announced that five upstate regions will now transition to phase two which includes businesses like barber shops and hair salons.

For more on coronavirus, visit our dedicated section.

The most populous US city, which has become the epicenter of the country’s coronavirus pandemic, was on track to meet all the metrics the state has set for a safe phased reopening, Cuomo said.

“We are on track to open on June 8,” Cuomo told a daily briefing but warned that “reopening does not mean we’re going back to the way things were.”

Read more:

From the coronavirus frontlines: Lebanon’s hotline volunteers work around the clock

Coronavirus: New York’s daily death toll falls below 100, says governor Cuomo

Coronavirus: NY Stock Exchange reopens as US death toll closes in on 100,000