Well, Buffalo, it looks as if the big day is tomorrow. Governor Cuomo has issued the green light for Phase One, meaning that Western NY will now join Central New York, North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions, all of which have “hit the metrics”, and will begin the process of reopening.
In a freshly minted release, the Cuomo administration has issued the following opening procedures and memorandums:
- State Department of Health has granted Erie County Medical Center a waiver to restart elective procedures
- New efforts to bring more tests to nursing home facilities to help meet new guidelines requiring all nursing home employees be tested twice per week
- Encourages major sports teams to plan reopening without fans
Along with announcing that the region would reopen, the administration also released the following statistics:
Confirms 1,250 additional coronavirus cases in New York State – Bringing statewide total to 351,371; New cases in 44 counties
Phase One includes construction; manufacturing and wholesale supply chain; retail for curbside pickup and drop-off or in-store pickup; and agriculture, forestry and fishing.
“Even with the highest number of cases in the country, New Yorkers responded with great unity and discipline and have done a phenomenal job in reducing the spread of the virus and flattening the curve,” Governor Cuomo said. “Reopening is now our big topic of discussion, and we are making these decisions based on the facts, science and data, but we still need New Yorkers to continue to do their part to ensure those numbers don’t go back up as regions and businesses reopen.”
Erie County breakdown: Total positive – 4,993 | New positive – 39
Western NY is the sixth region to hit the seven metrics benchmark, required to reopen at a Phase One capacity.