Governor Cuomo announced this week that the Hudson Valley has met the criteria to begin reopening, and Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, Sullivan and Westchester counties will be back to business.
Comments by some of the county executives, as reported in the MidHudson News coverage of the announcement, caution that wearing masks and staying safe are their top priority.
“We are ready to go,” said Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus. “We want everyone to stay vigilant and wear masks.” Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro said the reopening is “a new chapter.” He said public health teams “will be watching all of the data closely to protect our community health.” Ulster County Executive Patrick Ryan said it is “now even more important that we all do our part to wear masks, maintain social distancing, and wash our hands.”
The loosening of restrictions in New York will be considered on a regional basis, based on the following criteria:
- The infection rate is sufficiently low;
- The health care system has the capacity to absorb a potential resurgence in new cases;
- Diagnostic testing capacity is sufficiently high to detect and isolate new cases; and
- Robust contact-tracing capacity is in place to help prevent the spread of the virus.
However, the governor goes on to say, “Once a phased re-opening begins, it is essential that the rate of transmission be carefully monitored and remain under control. Each region must appoint an oversight institution as its ‘control room’ to monitor the regional infection rate during the phased reopening.”
Phase one, according to the Governor, allows construction projects to move forward, and stores to reopen with curbside pickup. Businesses in manufacturing, wholesale trade, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting can resume business as well.
However, they will not be business as usual. “Transmission of COVID-19 will remain a threat to employees and customers for some time,” says the Governor, “and business owners will need to adapt to this ‘new normal.’ Each business and industry must have a plan to protect employees and consumers, make the physical workspace safer and implement processes that lower risk of infection in the business.” State and local officials will continue to monitor the four criteria to make sure that infection rates are not increasing before moving to the next phase.
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