Five regions of New York state will enter the second phase of reopening their economies Friday, while New York City is “on track” to start the first phase in less than two weeks, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday.
The state’s metrics for tracking COVID-19 also continued to dip, signaling that relaxed guidelines in several regions over the last two weeks haven’t caused a major rebound.
"What is the bottom of the curve? I don't know, but we're close," Cuomo said.
The North Country, Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and Central New York will all be allowed to begin the second phase of reopening Friday. It’s unlikely that businesses in those regions will immediately open, given that the state didn’t publish guidance until Friday morning.
Phase two of the state’s reopening plan will allow certain industries to come back online, including:
- All office-based jobs, including administrative support, professional services, and information technology
- Real estate services, including building and property management, and leading, rental, and sales services
- In-store retail, with the exception of the interior of shopping malls
- Vehicle sales, leases, and rentals
- Retail rental, repair, and cleaning services
- Commercial building management
- Hair salons and barbershops
Each of those industries will be required to abide by strict guidance from the state, which essentially amount to capacity limits and requirements to wear personal protective equipment, like masks. Each industry has a separate set of requirements.
New York City will start the first phase of reopening on June 8, Cuomo said, as long as the five boroughs don’t see a spike in COVID-19 cases in the meantime, and can free up more hospital beds. That’s part of the state’s metrics for regions to reopen.
“When you add all that together … we are on the gateway to the next big step,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.
Phase one allows construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and retail curbside pickup to resume. After the first phase starts in New York City, it’s likely that two weeks will be allowed to pass before the region considers moving to phase two.
Western New York, the Capital Region, the Mid-Hudson region, and Long Island, are all currently in phase one, but are expected to move to phase two sometime in the next two weeks.
The number of new hospitalizations from COVID-19 reached a new low Friday, with only 152 people admitted Thursday, the latest data from the state. An additional died from the disease Thursday in New York, which now has nearly 24,000 fatalities.
