The NY PAUSE order that closed non-essential businesses is set to expire on May 15 and regions are rushing to meet a set of criteria laid out by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in order to start reopening phases.
Cuomo extending New York’s coronavirus emergency declaration but did not change the end date for NY PAUSE orders and many upstate regions will begin reopening May 15.
“This state, we have a clear uniform set of criteria. It’s the same all across the state, it’s all science-based, it’s all data-based and we’ll look at those numbers, we’ll look at those data points to see where it’s safe to open,” Cuomo said.
Governor Cuomo said on Sunday that some regions at the state are ready to start adding back jobs right now. He said he will be meeting with county executives around the state on Monday.
In order to reopen, a region must meet the following criteria:
- Regions must have at least 14 days of decline in the total hospitalizations and deaths on a 3-day rolling average.
- In regions with few COVID cases, cannot exceed 15 new total cases for 5 new deaths on a 3-day rolling average.
- In order to monitor the potential spread of infection in a region, a region must have fewer than two new COVID patients admitted per 100,000 residents per day.
- Regions must have at least 30% total hospital and ICU beds available.
- Hospitals must have at least 90 days of PPE stockpiled.
- 30 tests must be available for every 1,000 residents per month.
- Regions must have a baseline of 30 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents and additional tracers based on the projected number of cases in the region.
- Businesses must have new safety precautions.
- Regional control rooms to monitor the rate of infection.
The Finger lakes regions has meet five of those criteria point as of last week, and needs to work on testing and contract tracing. In a News 8 Town Hall on Friday, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said we’re ready to go.
Looking ahead at reopening, Cuomo also proposed the American’s First LAW, that would require that when business do reopen, they must rehire the same number of employees as before the pandemic, to receive federal funding.
“If you don’t rehire the same number of employees you had pre-pandemic, you have to return those funds. We’re not going to subsidize you to lay off workers.”
Cuomo said regions need to talk about two factors when it comes to re-opening. The first, meeting that criteria and secondly looking at the capacity of government to enforce measures that will keep keep the region on track.
— ROCHESTER FIRST