Governor Rolls Out Plan for Reopening New York State, Says No Region is Currently Ready

May 4, 2020 – Rochester, NY – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo provides a coronavirus update during a press conference in
Rochester. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)

ROCHESTER – Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday rolled out more details for what criteria will have to be met before he is willing to lift his New York on Pause executive order for ten different regions around the state.

The executive order was put in place in March in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic and in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The governor said there are four core factors being used to determine if a region can re-open.

“We will measure whether a region can re-open based on four factors – the number of new infections, health care capacity, diagnostic testing and contact tracing – and we will continue to monitor these factors throughout the re-opening process to prevent a second wave of the virus and protect the health and safety New Yorkers,” the governor said. 

But Cuomo also noted that while some regions are close to reopening, none currently met the standards required for the executive order to be lifted.

“While we continue to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we can begin to focus on re-opening, but we have to be careful and use the information we’ve learned so we don’t erase the strides we’ve already made. Re-opening is not going to happen statewide all at once – New York has diverse regions and those regions have different circumstances, so rather than wait for the whole state to be ready to re-open we are going to analyze the situation on a regional basis,” Cuomo said. 

Cuomo also noted that three of the ten regions are still considered “High Risk”, including Western New York. That region includes Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, Allegany and Chautauqua Counties.

The governor added that even after a region begins to see progress in each of the four main factors, the regions will still have to open on a four-phase basis. Businesses considered “more essential” with inherent low risks of infection in the workplace and to customers will be prioritized, followed by other businesses considered “less essential” or those that present a higher risk of infection spread. Regions must not open attractions or businesses that would draw a large number of visitors from outside the local area.

The governor also said there would be at least be a two week window before moving on to the next reopening phase. That means that if a region of the state were to open on May 15, it would be able to achieve phase 4 until June 26 – at the earliest.

The Governor also outlined new safety precautions that each business must put in place upon re-opening to help lower the risk of spreading the virus. Businesses will be required to:

• 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.

And Cuomo also announced that more than one million New Yorkers have already been tested for COVID-19 to date and he confirmed 2,538 additional cases of novel coronavirus in the state, bringing the statewide total of confirmed cases to 318,953 – though a good portion of them have since recovered.  There have also been 19,415 deaths from the virus in New York State since the start of March.