Cuomo to CNY: Start to reopen the economy

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday gave the Central New York region the go-ahead to partially reopen its economy starting Friday — following nearly two months of lockdown.

Central New York now meets all seven requirements for phase one of the reopening, according to the governor, joining the Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, and North Country in getting the greenlight. Cuomo stopped at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse to deliver the good news in person, as part of his daily COVID-19 briefing.

Central New York has now surpassed the benchmark that a region test 30 of every 1,000 residents per month, based on a seven-day average of new tests per day. The area’s seven-day average of tests  topped 1,000 with Thursday’s update of the state regional dashboard. That easily surpassed the required 775 tests a day.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon had been confident for three days that the region would top the testing threshold — despite the state showing CNY shy of the mark — due to its recent ramp up in testing.

Under the “NY PAUSE” directive, non-essential businesses have been shut across the state since March 22 and that order is set to expire Friday.

For regions that meet all seven reopening requirements, the first phase of reopening of businesses starting May 15 will include construction; manufacturing and wholesale trade;   all retailers limited to curbside or in-store pickup or drop off; and agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting-related businesses.

Businesses that reopen will be required to implement safety measures such as physical distancing, use of face coverings, cleaning and disinfecting of workspaces, and much more. Detailed information on the reopening guidelines by industry is available on the state’s New York Forward website.

Reopening companies must also have a safety plan on file that they keep on premises to show state or local health or safety officials during an inspection. A sample safety plan is available here.

New York will also open statewide “certain low-risk business and recreational activities,” as of this Friday. Those include landscaping and gardening; outdoor, low-risk recreational activities (tennis, for example); and drive-in movie theaters.