Dear Supporter,

This week New York City re-opened and started Phase 1. There is no state in the United States that has gone from where we were to where we are.

We asked you before how you were New York Tough. And you answered.

How are you New York Tough?

"I am taking care of my parents at home and studying to be a financial advisor while my brother is managing my parents’ restaurant. The restaurant is open for takeout and delivery only, and we are also donating food to hospitals. It has been a very tough and trying time, but I am grateful for my family and friends." - Palavi M.

"I am a 71-year-old Zumba instructor, and I hold classes online three times a week for free so my elderly students can exercise and stay in their homes." - Helen D.

"I work as a custodian for a school which has remained open throughout the pandemic. Usually it’s my job to provide a clean, safe environment for our children to learn and grow. Now, we’re providing a clean, safe place for essential workers’ children to be looked after while their parents work. Their parents are keeping food on the supermarket shelves and caring for our sick community members. We are all working for the same thing: to come out of this." - Elizabeth S.

How are you New York Tough?

Together we not only flattened but bent the curve of the COVID pandemic. We changed the course of this virus, and we did it by standing together. New Yorkers heard the information, they reacted, they responded, were smart in what they did, were so disciplined, and they rose to the occasion.

Reopening does not mean returning to the past. Reopening means moving toward a new, safer normal. Wear a mask. Get tested. Social distance. It’s up to us to keep this progress going.

Ever Upward,

Team Cuomo

P.S. Send this to your friends who you think are New York Tough so they can share their stories.