Moving ahead
Phase two clearance comes with cautions on health steps
Capital Region can move on to phase two of reopening on Wednesday.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the Capital Region can move on to phase two of reopening Wednesday, as local officials again issued pleas for people to wear masks and socially distance while out in public so that infection rates don’t spike.
Cuomo said Tuesday afternoon that a team of international experts he’s hired to review regional data has confirmed it’s safe for the region to move on to phase two of the state’s reopening plan, which will loosen restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
“As more businesses begin to reopen in this next phase, residents should remain responsible and diligent and continue to follow all social distancing and other public health guidelines to help prevent an increase in the spread of the virus,” he said.
Albany County Executive Dan Mccoy said he expects 123,000 jobs in the county alone could come back online once phase two begins. Those include jobs in professional services, financial and insurance services, retail, barbershops and hair salons, administrative support, real estate and rental leasing, among others.
But as Mccoy expressed excitement over the loosening restrictions, he also voiced concern about the impact recent police brutality protests could have on the reopening process. The protests have swept the nation after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week, including locally in Albany and Schenectady. But multiple public health experts have warned that large gatherings
could lead to a new spike in infections.
“We really won’t know the effect from Memorial Day, we really won’t know the effect from all these protests going on until eight to 14 days down the road,” Mccoy said. “So yeah, it could affect us, it could slow us up, and I hope it doesn’t.”
If the region sustains acceptable COVID-19 hospitalization and infection levels, it can move to phase three of reopening June 17. During that phase, restaurants and hotels could reopen for sitdown dining.
The spread of coronavirus has slowed considerably in the region amid widespread shutdowns that have kept people apart. The Capital Region recorded 26 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday for a total of 4,586 known cases to date across eight counties. Two more individuals died from the virus Tuesday, including one nursing home resident, bringing the overall known death toll from the virus in the region to 288. Fifty-six residents from seven local counties were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Mccoy said Tuesday that he has received “a long list” of reopening plans from businesses in the region that in some cases go above and beyond the safety precautions for reopening recommended by the state. Many of those precautions recommend the wearing of masks and practices that encourage social distancing, such as hair salons having people wait for their turn in the car versus a waiting area.
Mccoy said he’s heard from businesses that are nervous to reopen amid widespread national protests over deaths of black people while in police custody. The protests, while largely peaceful, have in many cities — including Albany — been marked by violence, looting and property destruction as night falls.
Dozens of windows were broken and stores looted as violence erupted in Albany late Saturday night, and businesses have begun boarding up their windows and doors in anticipation of continued destruction.
“Many people are going to be coming out for the first time in phase two that have been home almost 13 weeks,” Mccoy said. “They’re watching things on Facebook or on Youtube or watching the news or listening to the radio and reading the papers, and they’re going to come out into a new world. …You’re going to see a different place.”
Mccoy called Tuesday for pastors and community leaders across the Capital Region to help “bring people together” in the wake of a second night of looting, vandalism and chaos that erupted after peaceful protests in Albany Monday.