As our world continues to battle the Covid-19 Pandemic, New York State is taking measures to re-open businesses. Two weeks ago, we entered Phase One of re-opening which allowed for retailers to open for curbside pick-up, construction to resume, and manufacturing/wholesale trading to work again. This week, New York State is planning on entering Phase Two in the following regions: Capital Region, Central NY, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Southern Tier and Western NY. Suffolk County falls under the Southern Tier, allowing for Offices, Retail, Vehicle Retail, Hair Salons/Barbershops, and Outdoor Dining/Take out to re-open. Eligibility for re-opening is determined by health metrics for each region. Fortunately, the number of cases in each region is on a continuous decline, allowing for businesses to slowly re-open.
If your business is part of Phase 2 there are guidelines each business must meet. To help our businesses re-open, we’ve compiled the proper resources and steps in one place so you can easily navigate this new landscape.
PROPER STEPS TO RE-OPENING
- Determine if your Business is Eligible: Before starting the steps to re-open it is important to make sure your business is eligible. You can easily find out by clicking here to the NY Forward Business Re-Opening Look-Up Tool
- Know the Specific Guidelines for your Industry: If your business is eligible to re-open, it’s important to get to know the guidelines that are outlined for each business. This is new territory for both business owners and customers so familiarize yourself and staff to the rules. You can learn more about the specific guidelines for each industry by clicking here.
- Implement a NY Forward Safety Plan Template: Once you know the specific guidelines for your business, it is required to submit a Safety Plan to New York State before opening. The seven page document outlines how you will protect the people in your office, clean common spaces, and ensure that social distancing and other measures are being taken to protect those in your building from the spread of Covid-19. It is imperative to your re-opening plan to submit your affirmation to New York State and prepare a written “Safety Business Plan” which includes wellness checks, disinfectants and PPE supplies for employees. You can submit your safety plan to NYS by clicking here and following this link.
The staff at the Chamber is excited to be part of the Phase Two Businesses and we have outlined our Safety Measures below. If you have any questions about re-opening or need assistance in determining if your business is ready to be re-opened, please feel free to e-mail us at info@huntingtonchamber.com.
We look forward to our businesses re-opening!
