Messenger Post: All systems go to start reopening in Finger Lakes
May 11th, 2020
Messenger Post, May 11th, 2020
Friday marks the end of the statewide closure due to COVID-19, and local leaders in Ontario and Wayne counties say they are ready to begin the process of reopening.
“We are there — very close,” said Ontario County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Marren.
Marren, who is Victor town supervisor and president of the New York State Association of Counties, joined, virtually, the Monday morning announcement by Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a Rochester Regional Health auditorium in Irondequoit. The Rochester-Finger Lakes region had met state goals and was prepared to begin a gradual move toward normalcy, as were the Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley regions. Cuomo reviewed each region in the state against seven key criteria outlined for areas to qualify for reopening.
“This reopening phase is locally driven, regionally driven,” Cuomo said.
“I am pleased, encouraged that the governor is taking a regional approach to reopening,” said Wayne County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ken Miller, who called it “a move in the right direction.”
Miller, who is Palmyra town supervisor, added, “Regionally, we need to make decisions because there is a huge difference between upstate and downstate. I am encouraged that local areas will have influence on businesses reopening.”
Reopening will be phased in, with construction, manufacturing, wholesale supply and some retail operations permitted to resume activities starting Friday. Most of the retail operations in phase 1 would be those that could provide curbside pickup.
Three additional phases would roll out in subsequent weeks — Phase 2: Professional services; finance and insurance; retail; administrative support and real estate/rental leasing. Phase 3: Restaurants/food services; hotels/accommodations. Phase 4: Arts/entertainment/recreation; education.
Marren said two areas of concern with moving toward reopening — contact tracing and testing for COVID-19 — took a positive turn. According to the metrics, Ontario County needs 33 “contact tracers” who interview COVID-positive patients and track down whom they had contact with (based on the county’s population). Marren said Ontario County now has 45 people, a number of them nurses, who could fill the role.
On testing, Marren was part of an announcement last week that Quest Diagnostics, in collaboration with regional officials and local health care providers, has committed to dramatically boost testing capacity and kits in the region. Details include providing an initial quantity of 3,000 tests per day, which, added to existing capacity, will exceed the reopening standards covering 3 million people in New York, according to the announcement. Supplies will be shipped multiple times per week to meet demand in the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes region and Western New York — available for rapid deployment to specific locations or communities across the area that need quick access as new COVID-19 hotspots.
Marren commended everyone who has been following health and safety measures necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19. He said a crucial aspect going forward in reopening will be maintaining necessary guidelines for social distancing and the size of groups that can safely gather.
Ontario County Public Health Director Mary Beer, when asked if she is confident in the reopening plan, said, “I am, based on our record so far with keeping our case numbers down and our residents who have been super cooperative.
“I am optimistic that a phased-in approach could work in our region. This does mean that everyone has to do their part to continue social distancing, hand washing, face coverings and disinfecting. We will be monitoring closely,” she added.
In Canandaigua, City Manager John Goodwin said to remember that this is a phased-in process and not a full reopening.
“We’re excited to be one of the first,” Goodwin said.
‘An exciting new phase’
New York will also loosen restrictions on some low-risk businesses and facilities statewide beginning Friday: Gardeners and landscapers will be allowed to resume normal activities, while drive-in movie theaters will get the green light to open.
Certain low-risk, outdoor recreational activities such as tennis will also be permitted across the state, Cuomo said.
“It’s an exciting new phase,” Cuomo said. “We’re all anxious to get back to work. We want to do it smartly, we want to do it intelligently, but we want to do it. And that’s what this week is all about.”
The coronavirus has hit New York harder than any other state, with more than 21,000 confirmed deaths since the start of March.
But the vast majority of those deaths have been concentrated downstate — including 67% in New York City alone — while some upstate regions have come through relatively unscathed.
Cuomo first ordered nonessential businesses across the state to close March 22 as the virus was in the midst of its torrid spread. Essential businesses, including grocery and hardware stores, have remained opened.
Since then, Cuomo has outlined the four-phase approach to reopening businesses, with each phase lasting at least two weeks and more and more businesses added along the way.