Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that as of today, the Finger Lakes Region has 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, our 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. A guide to the state’s "NY Forward Reopening" Plan is available here. The Governor also launched the state’s regional monitoring dashboard, which is available here.
The Governor also announced that certain low-risk business and recreational activities will be ready to reopen statewide on May 15th, including landscaping and gardening; outdoor, low-risk recreational activities such as tennis; and drive-in movie theaters.
In order to reopen, businesses will be required to have an established reopening plan that includes:
- Adjust workplace hours and shift design as necessary to reduce density in the workplace.
- Enact social distancing protocols.
- Restrict non-essential travel for employees.
- Require all employees and customers to wear masks if in frequent contact with others.
- Implement strict cleaning and sanitation standards.
- Enact a continuous health screening process for individuals to enter the workplace.
- Continue tracing, tracking and reporting of cases; and
- Develop liability processes.
Additional state guidance on reopening plans will be issued in the coming days.