Upstate NY Law Firms Cleared for In-Office Work as State Loosens COVID-19 Restrictions
Cuomo, a Democrat, said COVID-19 data from the five regions has been reviewed and experts say it's safe to move forward in further reopening the economy for those areas.
May 29, 2020 at 10:42 AM
3 minute read
Law firms in five upstate New York regions will be allowed to return to in-office work after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that COVID-19 business restrictions will be loosened in those areas.
Those regions include the Finger Lakes, Central New York, the Southern Tier, the North Country and the Mohawk Valley.
Cuomo, a Democrat, said COVID-19 data from the five regions has been reviewed and experts say it's safe to move forward in further reopening the economy for those areas.
The regions will now move into phase two of the state's reopening plan, which includes bringing back office-based jobs, real estate services, in-store retail shopping and "limited" hair salon and barbershop services.
Up until midday Friday, uncertainty loomed over when regions would move to the second part of the reopening scheme.
The confusion came after Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested in a radio interview Thursday that international experts would have to analyze COVID-19 data and sign off on regions moving into phase two of the state's reopening plan.
"The reopening in the first five regions ends tomorrow," the Democrat said during that interview. "When the reopening of phase one ends, we'll give the experts all the data. It's posted on the web but let them analyze it. And if they say we should move forward, we move forward."
Cuomo's comments conflicted with messaging from some county officials Thursday, deepening the confusion over when regions would be allowed to move forward.
"We have met the metrics [that] were outlined by the governor, so Chemung County will be moving to phase two tomorrow," said County Executive Christopher Moss on Thursday.
Broome County Executive Jason Garnar took to Twitter to express his displeasure Thursday night, saying the state had informed him that officials would be looking at "additional data" before giving counties the OK to move into phase two.
"This is absolutely frustrating," he wrote. "The people of Broome County did everything they were asked to do. Our local businesses cannot wait any longer."
Business reopenings in phase two mark a significant step in loosening COVID-19 lockdown measures, which originally ordered all nonessential workers to stay home. State officials have not laid out specific benchmarks for when regions can move to phase two, unlike the distinctive requirements needed for regions to enter phase one.
New York City has yet to move into the first phase of Cuomo's reopening plan, which allows construction and manufacturing operations to return, along with select retail companies using curbside pickup.
Cuomo on Friday said New York City is expected to enter phase one June 8.
Previously, the Cuomo administration reported that two weeks would have to elapse before regions could move from phase one into phase two. But the governor has moved away from that timeline as of late, saying recently that the decision "is more a judgment call" on when COVID-19 figures have stabilized.
The state government has also posted interim guidance on COVID-19 for companies that work in office spaces.
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