Western New York will start reopening Tuesday after hiring several hundred coronavirus COVID-19 contact tracers overnight, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

Western New York, which includes Buffalo, will become the sixth region of 10 to begin the state’s gradual, four-phase reopening plan. 

Western New York needed to hire 352 contact tracers to reach its required 521 as of Sunday afternoon. County and other officials worked hard and completed the task and started training as of Monday afternoon.

As of Tuesday, Westchester County and the Hudson Valley did not satisfy the state’s required 14-day decline in net hospitalizations on a rolling three-day average to gradually restart the economy as well as the coronavirus death rate.

Westchester can can start reopening once they meet the state’s benchmarks regardless of the order’s expiration.

Westchester had only met five of the state’s seven reopening criteria as of Tuesday.

New York’s COVID-19 fatalities reached 21,995 Monday — up from 21,750 Saturday and 21,889 Sunday, with many in the New York City metropolitan area.

The state saw 106 virus-related deaths Sunday, including 83 in hospitals and 23 in nursing homes. The state’s death rate from the virus remains flat after totaling 139 fatalities Saturday, 157 Friday and 132 Thursday.

Just over 370 new virus patients entered hospitals statewide each Sunday and Monday — a dip from last week’s daily average of 400 and an average of about 600 the prior week.

Judges and staff will return to courthouses in 30 upstate counties this week.

Yonkers Raceway can open June 1 statewide without fans.

Elective surgeries will resume in Westchester County, including at ambulatory surgery centers. Elective surgeries cannot be performed in New York City, on Long Island or in Rockland Counties.