Reposted from newsday.com
High schools across New York State can hold limited socially distanced graduation ceremonies outdoors starting June 26, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Sunday.
Cuomo said the graduations will be limited to 150 people but it was immediately unclear whether that included students as well as family and faculty.
Ceremonies will be allowed at that time if the number of COVID-19 cases across the state continues to decline, he said.
“It gives us a couple of weeks between now and then, God forbid, the number changes,” Cuomo said during his daily news briefing. “But schools need to plan. With the progress we’ve made so far and if we continue this trajectory, we’ll be able to do that.”
Earlier Sunday, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said the county was optimistic about allowing outdoor graduation ceremonies for seniors during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m speaking to school officials who have very good plans on how we can do this," she said.
State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, who had been asking Cuomo to allow outdoor, in-person graduation ceremonies, said Cuomo's announcement was "an encouraging step."
