People in New York can now gather in groups of up to 10 as long as they maintain social distancing measures, the state's Governor has said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo dropped the state’s absolute ban on gatherings of any size on Friday.

The order, issued on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend, represents one of the biggest steps yet the state has taken to loosen rules adopted in March that have barred anyone but essential workers from gathering unless they live in the same household.

However the order still requires people assembling to follow “social distancing protocols and cleaning and disinfection protocols required by the Department of Health”.

That means people still need to stay at least six feet away from other people, or wear a mask or face covering when they cannot maintain that distance in public.

New Jersey has adopted similar rules, allowing groups of up to 25 outdoors and indoor gatherings of up to 10 people.

Mr Cuomo had earlier in the week signed an order allowing gatherings of as many as 10 people only for religious services and Memorial Day commemorations.

That restriction drew a lawsuit from the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), which said if it was safe to gather for the purpose of honouring veterans and holding religious ceremonies, the Constitution requires the same right be extended to people gathering for other reasons.

The NYCLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of New York City resident Linda Bouferguen, who the group says was twice arrested outside City Hall for protesting the state’s shutdown.

She wants to organise another protest on Saturday.

NYCLU Legal Director Christopher Dunn said in a statement that the organisation was “glad to see the governor reverse course.”

“The right to protest and exercise free speech is the foundation of all our other liberties, and during a crisis is exactly when we need to be most vigilant about protecting it.

“Health experts, elected officials and police officers all agree that people can be outside safely while practising social distancing, and it’s critical that lawmakers create guidelines and direct law enforcement uniformly.”

Mr Cuomo’s spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the new order is in line with Centres for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, which says that gatherings of up to 10 people are safe if people socially distance.

“Please be safe and wear a mask,” he added on Twitter.

The coronavirus killed another 109 people in the state on Thursday and around 5,000 people remain hospitalised

The daily death toll is down dramatically from early April but has stubbornly remained at just above 100 for five consecutive days.

Other regions in the US have also begun easing lockdown restrictions.

Nevada is preparing to reopen its shuttered casinos, including glitzy ones in Las Vegas. Governor Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, has set a tentative June 4 date, as Nevada continues to see decreasing cases of the coronavirus and Covid-19 hospital admissions. Some restrictions began to be lifted nearly two weeks ago.

Nevada’s gambling regulators plan to meet on Tuesday and will consider reopening plans submitted from casinos, which need to be approved at least seven days before restarting.

In Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer extended the state’s stay-at-home order by slightly more than two weeks, until June 12, while keeping theatres, gyms and other places of public accommodation closed until at least then.

The Democratic governor also kept her coronavirus emergency declaration until June 19. Both the stay-at-home measure and state of emergency had been set to expire late next Thursday, though Ms Whitmer said extensions were likely.

“While the data shows that we are making progress, we are not out of the woods yet. If we’re going to lower the chance of a second wave and continue to protect our neighbours and loved ones from the spread of this virus, we must continue to do our part by staying safer at home,” said Ms Whitmer, whom President Donald Trump has pushed to reopen the state.

Michigan on Friday reported 5,158 confirmed deaths due to Covid-19 complications, the fourth largest tally of any state. The daily death toll rose by 29 and the number of new confirmed cases in the state increased by 403, to nearly 54,000 since the pandemic started.