The North Country and Central NY Meet All Metrics for Reopening
Certain Low-Risk Business and Recreational Activities - including Landscaping, Gardening, Tennis & Drive-In-Movie Theaters - Will Reopen Statewide on May 15th
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Reopening in phases: precautions must be in place before reopening, businesses have to put safety precautions in place, the workforce has to have personal protection, they have to be socially distant. The workspace itself in some cases has to be adjusted, reconfigured such as, how do you have people work but they are six feet apart.
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on May 11th Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions have met all seven metrics required to begin phase one of the state's regional phased reopening plan when NYS on PAUSE orders expire on May 15th. If the trend continues, starting on May 15th, these three regions can begin opening businesses for phase one, which includes construction; manufacturing and wholesale supply chain; retail for curbside pickup and drop-off or in-store pickup; and agriculture, forestry and fishing.
The North Country and Central NY regions recently met 7 of the 7 metrics and are ready to open by end of this week. A guide to the state's "NY Forward Reopening" Plan is available at: http://www.governor.ny.gov
The Governor also launched the state's regional monitoring dashboard, also found on the same website.
Governor Cuomo stated, "This is the next big step in this historic journey. First phase was to figure out what we were dealing with because we had no idea. Scramble, frankly, to deal with the situation that dropped from another planet. Stabilize, ramp up the healthcare system, inform people, get people to understand what we were dealing with and control the damage. That's the mountain to me. We're now on the other side of the mountain. Next step, how do we reopen, how do we reopen intelligently and how do we reopen without taking a step back? What we have done thus far is really amazing. And it was because we were smart and because we were unified, and because we did that, we averted tragedy."
Cuomo added, "We start with businesses that are more essential and pose a lower risk... Those that are most essential and those that pose a lower risk because you can socially distance, et cetera. That's the matrix to make the decision and then businesses have to do their part also. It's not a one-sided affair. This can be a science and it can be measured. That's what we want to do. We want to demystify this entire issue. Sounds like a science fiction movie. I know. I feel like we've been living a science fiction movie, but you can also study it and analyze it because we have a lot of experience now. We've been living with this for months; other countries have lived with this for months. So, let's learn. Let's be smart. That's who we are, and we can do that by each region in the state and you see depending on the region in the state, some regions are ready to go today - they just need to get some logistical pieces in order by the end of the week. When we reopen, we're talking about a phased reopening, that's what everyone basically is doing. The question is moderating that phasing and doing it intelligently but starting with construction and manufacturing, retail, curbside pickup, agriculture, forestry and fishing. Then to phase 2, phase 3, phase 4, monitoring all along.
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