One of the hotspots considered in the US for the spread of COVID-19 cases & deaths have been New York City. But, a piece of good news for the city currently is that for the first time since March 24, the cases dipped below 100 & in the last 24 hours, the city recorded a death rate of 84. Andrew Cuomo, the governor, said that it is a "critical benchmark." 

On April 8, the death toll had reached 799, but also since May 10, the death rate did not go beyond 6.7%. Last Thursday & Friday, the death toll was at 109 & 105 respectively. According to an analysis of the data regarding the cases & deaths due to the pandemic in New York City since May 10, the death toll in the city crossed 200 only twice; one on May 12 with 300 deaths & other on May 15 with 400 deaths. In a way, the number recorded in the last 24 hours is a good sign for the city which had an alarming number of cases & deaths in the month of April with around 800-900 fatalities daily.

Since the beginning of the spread of the virus in the US, New York has been considered as an epicentre of the virus in the country as an increasing number of cases & deaths were registered in the months of March & April. After seeing the biggest single-day rise with 5,600 cases on May 10, the city has seen a downward trend in the number of cases. Reports suggest that the May 15 to May 21 week saw an average daily rise of 1700 cases.

On Saturday, in a press conference, Governor Andrew Cuomo quoted saying, “84 deaths is still a tragedy, but the fact it's down as low as it is is still good news. In my head, I was always looking to get under 100. For me, it’s just a sign that we’re making real progress.”

For the Memorial Day weekend, the state has already eased the ban on gatherings & the governor has also announced the reopening of the Long Island & the Mid-Hudson region. 

He further even signed an order on late Friday to allow as many as 10 people only to assemble in groups bearing in mind to maintain at least a 6 feet distance from each other & wear masks.