Phase three of reopening is on the horizon for the Finger Lakes region. This Friday marks two weeks since the region began Phase Two. On Friday, the governor will review the past two weeks of data and decide if our region can move on.

Regional leaders said they’re anticipating being cleared to move forward. Brian Young is the interim Ontario County administrator. He said there was a lot of anxiety surrounding phase two reopening but now he knows what to expect.

“The governor has stated he is requiring two full weeks of data to be sure that we don’t have an outbreak from the previous phase,” said Young.

Phase three includes indoor seating at restaurants and personal care services such as nail salons, diet and weight reducing centers, and full services at hair salons. There will likely be specific restrictions and Livingston County administrator Ian Coyle said he thinks businesses will be nothing but cooperative.

“You see the diligent efforts from the business community and adapting to the new normal so I don’t expect them to be unwilling participants in what the new normal is. I don’t think you’ll see people scoff at new health protocols,” said Coyle.

Young agreed and said businesses in Ontario County have been preparing for weeks so they’re ready to open their doors as soon as they get the thumbs up.

“Our Finger Lakes Visitor’s Connection is our tourism agency, they’ve been working with that agency all along from the past couple of weeks doing Zoom calls and hearing from them what they need to be prepared, whether its behavioral practices and sanitizing, different face covers, how do they treat their customers, space tables out.”

The county leaders said some restrictions they’re expecting are half or less capacity for restaurants, spacing out of tables, masking, and strict sanitation guidelines — all similar to what we’ve seen in the other phases.

Business owners who are unsure which phase they fall into can look up their business code on the New York State website.

— Rochester First