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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New York State Fair will be cancelled this summer out of an abundance of caution. Cuomo said that movie theaters and casinos will also remain closed. He noted that New York has done a good job reducing infection, but argued that caution is prudent. On Wednesday Cuomo also announced that all county fairs will be canceled until further notice, again, out of an abundance of caution.

"This is a really tough one," Cuomo said. "Fairs all across the nation are not reopening. We have a fantastic State Fair in Syracuse. We've invested a lot of money. We've had record attendance, 1.3 million people last year, we broke the attendance record. We invested money, we redid the whole State Fair. We built a new expo center, 110,000 square feet, it's really amazing. It's been an economic boon for the whole region. This year we're going to have to cancel it and that makes me personally very unhappy, but that is where we are."

Cuomo said that some New Yorkers are growing dangerously complacent, citing gatherings that are not socially distanced and where people are not wearing masks. He singled out gatherings in Manhattan, Fire Island, and upstate, warning that a spike in infection could result from getting cocky about New York's going from the worst infection rate in the United States to the best.

"The last thing we need is to see this virus spike again, and there are two threats in that area. One - New Yorkers getting complacent. 'This is great, New York's doing great, the numbers are down. I heard the Governor, he said everything is great.' We get complacent, we get cocky, we get a little arrogant. That is a real threat and it's a threat that I'm concerned about," he said, and continued, "The second threat is you now have 38 states in this country with an increasing virus rate of infection. It's only getting worse. It's not getting better."

Cuomo said that state officials are still looking at data, but for now movie theaters and casinos will not be permitted to reopen.

He also announced Wednesday that malls may malls can open in regions that have entered Phase IV of reopening if they have implemented an enhanced Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning - or HVAC - filtration system and follow proper ventilation protocols. HVAC systems will be required to include filters with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value - or MERV - rating of which filters out the COVID-19 virus, but can, if the system makes additional protections, run on a minimum MERV of 11. Ventilation protocols include increased outdoor air, reduced air circulation, longer system run times and frequent filter checks.

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