Regional Re-Opening in Four Phases

At a press conference near Rochester, NY, Governor Cuomo announced some further details on the state’s business re-opening plan. The region-by-region approach will consist of four phases to re-opening New York State:

PHASE I: Construction/Manufacturing/some Retailers with curbside pick-up

PHASE II: Professional Services, Finance/Insurance, Real Estate, Administrative Support

PHASE III: Restaurants/Food service and Hotels/Accommodations

PHASE IV: Arts/Entertainment/Recreation and Education

As part of this process the State will monitor four “core factors” to determine if a region can re-open:

  • New Infections: Based on guidelines from the CDC, regions must have at least 14 days of decline in total net hospitalizations and deaths on a 3-day rolling average. In regions with few COVID cases, the region cannot exceed 15 net new total hospitalizations or 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.
  • Health Care Capacity: Every region must have the health care capacity to handle a potential surge in cases. Regions must have at least 30 percent of total hospital and ICU beds available. This is coupled with the new requirement that hospitals have at least 90 days of PPE stockpiled.
  • Diagnostic Testing Capacity: Each region must have the capacity to conduct 30 diagnostic tests for every 1,000 residents per month.
  • Contact Tracing Capacity: 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.

The Governor provided a listing of where each region stands currently:

A link to the Governor’s press release and press conference can be found here.

Additional Business Guidelines

The Governor also outlined new safety precautions that each business must put in place upon re-opening. Businesses will be required to:

  • Adjust workplace hours and shift design as necessary to reduce density in the workplace;
  • Enact social distancing protocols;
  • Restrict non-essential travel for employees;
  • Require all employees and customers to wear masks if in frequent contact with others;
  • Implement strict cleaning and sanitation standards;
  • Enact a continuous health screening process for individuals to enter the workplace;
  • Continue tracing, tracking and reporting of cases; and
  • Develop liability processes. (No additional details provided here.)

Health Plan Marketplace Special Enrollment

The special enrollment period of the NY State of Health, Health Plan Marketplace will remain open through June 15, 2020.

School Re-Opening Guidance

It was also announced today that the State is working on drafting the “difficult” guidance needed for the eventual re-opening of schools. Governor Cuomo acknowledged that focusing on social distancing in classrooms and other gatherings will be a tall order. 

COVID-19 Numbers                                                     

To date, 1 million New Yorkers have been tested for COVID-19, and thankfully we remain on the far side of the plateau. That said, the number of deaths in the State has increased by 226 since yesterday to 19,415 in total.

May the 4th be with you.