Cortland, Cayuga, and Chemung counties get the nod to resume elective surgeries

Cayuga, Cortland, and Chemung counties are among 12 additional counties that Gov. Andrew Cuomo says are now eligible to resume elective surgeries.

Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Montgomery, Orange, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Warren counties are also included in that group, Cuomo’s office said Wednesday.

These 12 counties join 35 others that Cuomo had previously announced would be allowed to restart elective outpatient procedures, which are vital revenue sources for hospitals.

Ambulatory surgical centers in these 47 counties will also be able to resume elective surgeries. Additionally, the New York State Department of Health clarified that these centers may continue providing certain diagnostic or screening procedures, such as for cancer.

Empire State Development Corp. also clarified that doctors’ visits are still permitted and applicable offices remain open as essential businesses.

“When this pandemic first began our hospital systems were overwhelmed and we stopped elective surgeries to increase our hospital capacity for COVID patients,” Cuomo said in a statement. “We have made tremendous progress to stop the spread of this infection and all the arrows are pointing in the right direction. We are now at a point where we can restart elective surgeries in counties without a significant risk of a surge of COVID-19 in the near term, and a total of 47 counties have met the criteria to begin resuming these elective treatments.”