New York to allow small Memorial Day ceremonies and vehicle parades

(CNN) — New York state will allow Memorial Day ceremonies honoring America’s military veterans to be held with up to 10 people in attendance, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.

The attendance restriction is based on advice from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and local governments can decide if and how they want to hold the ceremonies, Cuomo said in a press conference. He said he hoped that the ceremonies would be broadcast for people in their area.

“This is an important tradition, many people lost their loved ones,” he said. “This is important to many, many families across this state and nation. It is important to the veterans that they be recognized and I think we can do that and I think we can do it safely.”

Vehicle parades in honor of veterans will also be permitted across the state, he added.

New York, the hardest hit state in the country, began the first phase of its reopening plan last week. Parts of upstate New York that met a series of criteria around testing, contact tracing, coronavirus cases and hospital capacity were able to reopen their manufacturing and agriculture businesses. New York City, the epicenter of the pandemic, has not reached those criteria and remains shut.