The five regions include the Mohawk Valley, North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Central New York.

Western New York – which includes Chautauqua County – is not part of the original five that entered Phase 1 on May 15. It entered Phase 1 on Tuesday, May 19.

As part of the Forward New York plan announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo earlier this month, regions were told that if their seven key COVID-19 tracking metrics held for two weeks, they would be able to enter the next phase of the reopening process. Phase 2 would include several professional service businesses, along with retail operations.

However, during an 11th hour conference call early Thursday night, officials from those five regions learned none of the original 5 regions would move on to Phase 2 today (Friday).

Instead, international experts would review each region’s data first before making a decision. State officials said the Phase 2 delay could only last a day, but that was not a given.

Meanwhile, there’s also been lack of instruction on how to proceed with Phase 2. Members of the control rooms said they were told Wednesday that updated Phase 2 guidance would go live on the state’s website that evening, but it never came to fruition.

The overall confusion has frustrated county and local leaders who participate in daily regional control room meetings.

Locally, Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel told WRFA that he remains confident Western New York will be able to enter Phase 2 next Tuesday, June 2 – after being given assurance by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul that it would occur next week. However, Wendel made his statement late Thursday morning, prior to the news that there would be a delay for the other five regions.

The Forward NY regional dashboard, providing information on the seven metrics that will determine when a region can continue the reopening process for businesses and operations that were put on pause in Mid March due to COVID-19.

The announcement was made late Monday morning by Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a press conference in Buffalo, adding that the region has met all the criteria necessary to begin reopening, including finding an adequate number of contact tracers.

Not all businesses will be able to open Tuesday. Instead, only those listed as Phase One businesses can reopen, and that’s only if they have put in place a plan to protect employees and customers. Businesses and activities that involve construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, agriculture,forestry, and fishing and hunting can resume. Also, Retail businesses that provide Curbside Pickup can also again reopen.

The state is also offering a safety plan template to follow and a business may fill out the provided template to fulfill the requirement, or may develop its own Safety Plan.

The next step for Western New York is to enter Phase 2 of reopening, which includes retail, professional services, administrative support and real estate/rentals and leasing. The governor had said Phase 2 will not begin until at least two weeks after phase 1.

All non essential businesses in the state were closed in Mid March as part of governor Cuomo’s New York on Pause executive order.

ALBANY – When it comes to reopening businesses in Chautauqua County and Western New York there was some good news delivered by the governor’s office on Sunday.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said Western New York could soon start reopening from coronavirus shutdowns after his administration made a change in the way it calculates its COVID-19 benchmarks as part of its Forward New York reopening plan. As a result, Western New York could get the green light to enter Phase 1 of reopening at least a week sooner than it would have been able to under the state’s prior calculation.

According to Cuomo, the region will now be allowed to open as soon as it can hire or train additional contract tracers tasked with keeping contact with COVID-positive patients and others who are quarantined.

As announced at the state of this month, the ten economic regions in the state can only begin reopening if they meet seven key metrics. At first, those standards required regions to show a sustained, 14-day decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, or if they had never seen a spike of more than 15 hospitalizations or five deaths in any three-day period since the start of the virus outbreak in March. As of Saturday, Western New York was at least ten days away from meeting the former benchmark and was disqualified from meeting the latter because it had seen significant spikes in March and April.

But on Sunday the governor reset the clock to May 15, when the state’s first regions were allowed to reopen. The shift allows Western New York to qualify because it hasn’t seen a sharp spike in the past three days.

Under the reopening plan, Phase 1 allows nonessential manufacturing, construction and retail businesses to reopen, but with social-distancing and density-reduction precautions in place.  Retail is only allowed curbside or in-store pickups.

The news of the possible regional reopening came two days after Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel announced that Chautauqua County was joining Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties in requesting that the state allow them to create a subregion for reopening.

On Friday Wendel said all three counties were meeting the seven metrics required for reopening to begin – but due to the numbers coming out of Erie County, the region wasn’t able to reopen. Also on Friday five other regions in the state were given the go ahead to begin Phase 1.

Wendel told WRFA on Thursday that the governor’s office was receptive to the idea of letting some counties in the region open before others, but so far it has not indicated that it will allow it to take place.

ALBANY – As some regions of New York state begin the process of slowly phasing in the reopening of their economies in the wake of the COVID-19 related statewide shutdown, Western New York – which includes Chautauqua County – will remain on pause.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday night that Western New York is not ready to reopen after the region experienced another setback and is now not meeting three of the seven metrics necessary for reopening, under the Forward New York plan, including a steady decline in new hospitalizations.

However, Chautauqua County executive PJ Wendel told WRFA on Thursday that just because hospitalizations are not seeing a steady decline in numbers, it doesn’t mean the region is in trouble.

“A way to positively look at this would be to say, yes we are seeing an uptick but it’s not stressing our hospitals and healthcare system. We don’t see an overburdening of hospital staff. So I don’t think this is a good sign, but I think it can be seen in a positive way that although we are seeing a slight uptick, we are also able to say we are able to handle this,” Wendel said.

Of the seven metrics – the region is now only meeting four of them. The metrics not being met are:

• 14-day Decline in Net Hospitalizations OR Under 15 New Hospitalizations (3-day avg);
• 14-day Decline in Hospital Deaths OR Fewer than 5 Deaths (3-day avg);
• New Hospitalizations (Under 2 per 100K residents – 3 day rolling avg).

State officials say the metrics are based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.

Chautauqua County joins the more heavily populated Erie and Niagara Counties – along with the more rural Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties – as the five counties making up the region.

Earlier this week Chautauqua County’s representatives in Albany and Washington held a joint press conference calling on the state to consider allowing the county – along with Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties – to begin reopening, even if the Western New York region is unable to do so has a whole.

A total of five regions in the state will be opening today. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Central New York is joining the the North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions in beginning to reopen, starting Friday.  Those five regions can begin opening businesses for phase one, which includes construction, manufacturing, and retail for curbside pickup and drop-off or in-store pickup. Phase two will allowed to begin two weeks later, baring any setbacks.

Also on Thursday, Gov. Cuomo extended the New York on Pause executive order for the entire state through June 13. However, he also indicated the extension could end sooner for some regions, depending on how they do in dealing with the seven metrics used to track COVID-19.

County executive Wendel extended Chautauqua County’s State of Emergency for up to thirty additional days due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.  The extension is the result of the region continuing to remain On Pause and helps the County qualify for state and federal assistance related to the County’s response to COVID-19.

On Wednesday, the state saw an additional 2,390 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 343,051 with over 27,000 deaths.

There were no New Cases of COVID-19 reported in Chautauqua County on Thursday.  So far there has been 44 total cases with 7 of them being active and 33 counted as recovered. There’s also been 4 deaths. County officials also say a total of 142 cases remain under quarantine/isolation orders and being monitored.  Not all of those being monitored are confirmed to have COVID-19 but have either shown symptoms, are awaiting results, or have risk factors.

A small group of protesters gathered in Jamestown as part of a Reopen New York Rally on May 1 in front of Dow Park. Another rally is scheduled for Saturday, May 16 at noon. (Image / Kevin Mylett)

JAMESTOWN – Another Reopen NY rally is being planned for tomorrow in Jamestown.

Organizers say individuals will again meet in Dow Park at noon on Saturday, May 16 to continue to call for the ending of New York on Pause, which was put in place by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in mid March in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“Individuals will gather to urge our state, county, and local officials to honor their oaths to the Constitution and allow western New Yorkers to get back to work and their lives responsibly,” explained organizer and local resident Garrit Cain. “We will have residents ready to share with the press how their livelihoods have been negatively impacted by the NY on PAUSE/Shutdown.”

As part of his Forward New York plan, Gov. Cuomo announced at the start of this month that each of the state’s ten economic development regions are required to meet specific thresholds for seven different sets of criteria before a phased-in reopening can begin. Those metrics are based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. So far Western New York has yet to meet all of the criteria, while five other regions in the state have been given the green light to being reopening.

FLAWED REOPENING STRATEGY?

Cain said the strategy of reopening the Western New York based economic development region all at the same time is flawed because it ignores the difference between rural counties like Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties and the more heavily populated Erie and Niagara Counties.

“The data are clear that the virus is not impacting these regions equally. Therefore, we should have very different reopening strategies,” Cain said. He’s also pointing to recent comments from state and federal representatives who also favor a county-by-county reopening strategy.

“Our State legislative and US Congress representatives have all come out in support of a county-based reopening strategy despite the obstinacy of Governor Cuomo to keep the plan tied to arbitrary economic development regions,” Cain said – referring to a recent press conference held by Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning), State Senator George Borrello (R-Irving), and Assemblymen Andrew Goodell (R-Ellicott) and Joe Giglio (R-Gowanda). “These law makers have stopped just short of telling Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties to open in defiance of the State. Assemblyman Goodell made the boldest case saying, ‘Chautauqua County needs to open in a safe responsible manner now.'”

According to Borrello and Goodell, most local businesses in Chautauqua County have already developed and submitted reopening plans that detail safety measures they will enact to protect staff and customers.

“It’s time for our representatives -especially at the local and county level – to trust and support the people they were elected to represent. We are calling on them to be bold, stand up to the State, tell us we are free to get back to work responsibly,” Cain explained. “A localized strategy could include the County Health Departments signing off on business’s reopening plans and having business owners sign some sort of liability release for the County.”

“There will likely be pushback by the State but these potential consequences pale in comparison to the damage to lives and livelihoods that has occurred and will continue every day this shutdown drags on,” Cain Said. “We ask those brave legislators who spoke Tuesday, County Executive PJ Wendel, and municipal leaders to take that leap and assure us they have our backs if we go back to work with or without the blessing of the State.”

This is the third week in a row that such a rally is planned in Jamestown. The latest rally also comes as Lt. governor Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday that Western New York is not ready to reopen after the region experienced another setback and is no longer meeting the criteria for new hospitalizations.

• AUDIO ALSO AVAILABLE AT SOUNDCLOUD

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel offers an update on the COVID-19 situation in the county and also gives his thoughts about Governor Andrew Cuomo’s New York Forward plan, which focuses on the strategy for allowing various regions in the state to reopen businesses and the economy.

PJ Wendel

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. 

The order was put in place in March to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. But as a result, it’s also forced a spectrum of businesses to close operations while many other have had to make adjustments.  Activities and routines also taken for granted – such as socializing, attending church services, children playing on area playgrounds, and group sports have also been put on hold.

Locally, a Reopen New York rally is planned for 3 p.m. Friday at Jamestown’s Dow Park.

Area resident and 2019 Libertarian candidate for County Legislature Gerrit Cain is helping to organize the event. He said in a media release that his group understands and takes the COVID-19 virus seriously, but doesn’t believe that it is prudent, effective, or constitutional to have the government determine which businesses are and are not essential.

“We are concerned with the effects of the PAUSE and its associated shutdowns on livelihoods, mental health, and the overall well being of society at large,” Cain stated. “It is clear to us that there is a wide spectrum of views on how quickly to reopen, what to reopen and how. We believe that with clear information from regional and local health care experts, people should be free to live their lives and do business in a responsible manner. Likewise, we believe that societal and market forces can and will steer behavior and policies toward wise and prudent decisions in terms of the ‘how’ we reopen and restart our lives better than sweeping government mandates.”

Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings has said the city is monitoring the situation.

“We’re aware of it. We are working with the state police and they are monitoring social media so we can at least get a feel for what the potential crowd could look like, but for now we’re kind of in a wait-and-see,” Snellings said during the Jamestown City Council’s April 20 work session.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist also noted during the same meeting that while a special event permit to hold the rally isn’t necessary, it still could result in a violation of the governor’s executive order, which bans groups of people from meeting.

“There wouldn’t be any [amplified] sound or things like that so a permit wouldn’t be necessary. However, there is an executive order banning all social gatherings. A gathering of individuals of any size up until May 15 is still not permitted under the governor’s executive order. Anyone who violates that can be assessed a fine of up to $1,000,” Sundquist said.

The mayor reiterated his comment about how such an event could be a violation of the governor’s executive order during a Facebook Town Hall Q&A session on Thursday.

But Cain said the group intends for the rally to be a peaceful and respectful demonstration abiding by physical distancing.

“Participants will either remain in their vehicles or walk the sidewalks around Dow Park while maintaining an appropriate distance from one another. We will be carrying signs and likely singing some patriotic songs during the event. At no time do we intend to gather in a concentrated group,” said Cain.

WRFA also recently talked with NY Senator for District 57 and former Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello and asked him his thoughts about these types of rallies taking place in New York State and around the country.

“I would encourage those folks to practice social distancing and to protect themselves, because we don’t know all the details (about COVID-19) and don’t have enough data,” Borrello said. “But I understand the impact and I agree there are serious constitutional questions to what is going on right now.”

George Borrello (left) and Andy Goodell

ALBANY – Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell released a complement plan to the “Restarting New York” regional plan that was put out last week. The two put out a schedule for reopening business sectors based on their inherent risk levels and the ability to mitigate those risks.

The plan provides a breakdown of lower and higher risk business sectors, through analysis of the workplace setting and occupational characteristics and the ease of adapting safety protocols to these environments and activities.

“As New York State enters its sixth week of New York on PAUSE, we are encouraged at the decreases in COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations that are occurring. These improvements have been achieved through the vigilance and great sacrifice of New Yorkers from one end of our state to the other. Together, we are preparing to face the next challenge of this chapter, which is reopening our economy safely and sustainably through a strategy that balances regional readiness with business sector risk,” said Senator Borrello. “We have had positive conversations with Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul about our strategy and stand ready to offer any assistance as she leads reopening efforts.”

The plan stresses that regional and individual business plans should include all safety measures to reduce the risk as much as possible.

While expressing support for the Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Un-PAUSE NY plan, they recommend two changes to the 12-point system for evaluating when a region should restart. The changes include:

• Adjusting the recommendation regarding hospital rates, which under the Governor’s plan must show a 14-day decline. Senator Borrello and Assemblyman Goodell suggest that hospital rates could be “stable or declining” for 14 days without compromising safety or hospital capacity.
• Modifying the contact tracing capacity from the current “30 tracers for every 100,000 residents” to “30 tracers per 100,000 residents or at least two contact tracers for every confirmed active case,” whichever is less. They note that under the current guideline, a county the size of Rockland with 311,000 residents and with 11,453 confirmed cases would have just one tracer for every 123 cases, yet the same formula in Chautauqua County, with four active cases, would result in 7.5 tracers for every active case.

They have forwarded the plan to Lt. Gov. Hochul – who is leading reopening efforts in Western New York.

• AUDIO ALSO AVAILABLE AT SOUNDCLOUD

WRFA’s Jason Sample talks with Chautauqua County executive Paul “PJ” Wendel to learn more about his call for local businesses to start developing a reopening plan so that they can be prepared once the governor lifts his NY on Pause executive order in WNY region and Chautauqua County.

PJ Wendel