Pulse of life begins to stir upstate

Idled contractors girded for long-awaited jobs and shoppers browsed spring flowers — though masks made stopping to smell the roses a problem — as New York State began slowly restarting its economy Friday in areas spared the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic.

Smaller cities and rural regions in the middle of the state far from New York City, still gripped by the pandemic — are being allowed to open first, but gradually — industry by industry.

The first wave of businesses includes retail — though only for curbside or in-store pickup — along with businesses and industries like construction, manufacturing and nurseries.

In rural Schoharie, customers wearing face masks walked through colorful displays of geraniums and petunias outside the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe.

Martha Schebaum was happy to be shopping for blooms, even if the new rules took some getting used to.

“You can’t really get close to people. You have to pay attention to where everybody is, where you are, what you’re doing, what you’re touching,” she said. “But you also want to help people out and do your part.”

Apple Barrel had already been offering takeout orders at its cafe. For Friday, it added designated entry and exit paths for customers who went inside to pay as it geared up its nursery business. No contact was allowed between staff and customers.

“Typically, you might greet customers with a hug or some sort of contact. You can’t do that now,” said co-owner Joshua Loden. “So it’s a lot of air hugs and smiling underneath our masks,” he said. “Like this entire pandemic, we’ve just been taking it in stride as best we can.”

In the largely rural Mohawk Valley, DANVANN Construction & Development geared up for an excavation job Monday at a lake on the southern edge of the huge Adirondack Park.

“I’ve been lounging around the house a lot, and I’m ready to get busy,” said employee Justin Brown. “I’d rather be working.”