Photo by velkr0.
New York City will begin reopening for business on Monday — in a restrained sense. Construction will be back up and running (though much of it never really stopped) and retail stores can start selling items for curbside or in-store pickup.
Normal train service is starting to come back. The subway is expected to operate at 90% of the normal schedule.
All the rules to stop the spread of Covid-19 still apply. Masks and social distancing are crucial.
Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal sent a list of the kinds of businesses that are expected to reopen below:
Phase I reopening will allow the following businesses to begin operating.
Construction: (For State Guidance click here): https://www.governor.ny.gov/
- Building Equipment Contractors
- Building Finishing Contractors
- Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors
- Highway, Street and Bridge Construction
- Land Subdivision
- Nonresidential Building Construction
- Residential Building Construction
- Utility System Construction
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting: (Guidelines are below)
- Other Animal Production
- Other Crop Production
- Support Activities for Animal Production
- Support Activities for Crop Production
- Support Activities for Forestry
Non-food Related Agriculture Guidelines https://www.governor.ny.gov/
Forestry Summary Guidelines https://www.governor.ny.gov/
Retail Trade: Phase 1 includes delivery, curbside, and in-store pickup service only for the following businesses: (Summary of Guidelines): https://www.governor.ny.gov/
- Clothing Stores
- Direct Selling Establishments
- Electronics and Appliance Stores
- Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses
- Furniture and Home Furnishing Stores
- Florists
- General Merchandise Stores
- Health and Personal Care Stores
- Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods Stores
- Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Stores
- Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Stores
- Used Merchandise Stores
- Shoe Stores
- Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument and Book Stores
- Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers
Manufacturing: (Summary of Guidelines) https://www.governor.ny.gov/
- Apparel Manufacturing
- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
- Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
- Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
- Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing
- Machinery Manufacturing
- Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
- Paper Manufacturing
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
- Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
- Printing and Related Support Activities
- Textile Mills
- Textile Product Mills
- Wood Product Manufacturing
- Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing
Wholesale Trade (Summary of Guidelines): https://www.governor.ny.gov/
- Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers
- Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers
- Furniture and Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
- Household Appliances and Electrical and Electronic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
- Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
- Metal and Mineral (except Petroleum) Merchant Wholesalers
- Paper and Paper Product Merchant Wholesalers
- Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
- Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers
- Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers
- Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers
HELPFUL FAQs
Is Your Business a Phase 1 Industry?
If you are unsure as to what phase your business falls into, please use the “Business Reopening Lookup Tool” linked below.
This tool will help you determine whether or not your business is eligible to reopen and the public health and safety standards with which your business must comply.
Due to special circumstances, I cannot fully comply with the Guidance. Can I apply for a waiver?
–No, due to health and safety concerns, waivers will not be issued.
Do I need to create a reopening plan? If so, what should my plan include? Can I receive a template or checklist from NYS?
–Yes. All businesses, including essential businesses, must develop a COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan. Plan information may be found below. Your COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan should include the ways in which you intend to comply with the Guidance, to safely reopen.
Safety Plan: https://forward.ny.gov/
What if my business cannot procure enough protective equipment for all workers?
–If your business cannot procure the required protective equipment, then your business cannot operate safely. Your business can only reopen when you are able to fully supply adequate protective equipment and to help protect the health and safety of your workers. You may contact your county Office of Emergency Management for assistance in procuring PPE, to the extent it is available.
Is New York State enforcing the new reopening requirements?
–Yes. Enforcement will occur at the local and state government levels.
In which phase will the playgrounds reopen?
From what I can tell based on reading, phase 4 (social gatherings and entertainment), but this is all subject to change if cases and hospitalizations increase again. There is two weeks between phases right now to monitor outcomes.
I kind of think any phase of re-opening should be pushed back because common sense tells us there will be more cases due to the protests. No need to make it worse by having more people out and about.
“Masks and social distancing are crucial.”
They are crucial unless you are protesting. Then they are obsolete and you don’t have to worry because covid-19 is over. We won! It disappeared. Go ahead and get 2,000 people within a foot of each other, screaming the whole time. What a complete and utter joke this has become. Two weeks ago if you went against common sense and didn’t social distance, you were lambasted that you didn’t care about others, especially the at risk segment of the community. So safe to say now, BLM is more important that the lives of the elderly and at risk community in our community.
There are plenty of elderly and at-risk people in the protests. They can decide for themselves what level of risk to choose. Also, people are not “screaming the whole time,” probably because pretty much everyone is wearing a mask. If you’re bothered by the risk of Covid-19 more than the moral outrage of police brutality, stay home.
I didn’t see any elderly protesting and elderly people close to the protests and i went to multiple marches wearing my mask and I was able to stay a few feet away from other people.
Meanwhile, I see UWS people (predominately white of course) just drinking outside all weekend at restaurants that have “to go” alcohol and many of those people were people that were older than 50 years old. None were wearing masks and all were within 2-3 ft of each other blocking the curbs. It sounds like when you’re entitled you can do whatever you want but when you are protesting injustices, there’s a double standard. But I guess having a drink outside is the bigger priority in UWS.
Seriously? Stay home. We are a community and we connect with each other. We have lively debate. We email one another If one is absent for a day a or so. Get some friends
Get a grip, Earl. All the current research shows that there is low risk of contracting Covid outdoors. Masks and social distancing ARE crucial, especially when indoors and when maintaining space between you and another person is difficult (like browsing the aisles of Fairway). But if you’ve bothered to get outside to participate in protests, you would see that people are wearing masks, and that they aren’t packed in like the downtown 3 train at 9am on a weekday–specifically because they are outdoors.
“So safe to say now, BLM is more important that the lives of the elderly and at risk community in our community.”
This statement, akin to “but, all lives matter,” is incendiary, and it downplays the systemic racism against Black people that exists in America. Go read about it.
this is an inaccurate rant by “Big Earl.” I have been to two protests that marched through the streets, one in Manhattan Tuesday night last week, and this past Sunday in Queens. I also attended a mass meeting outside of my workplace, which is a NYC public hospital (Elmhurst Hospital). The latter was titled “White Coats for Black Lives”.
In all of the protests i have attended, close to 100% wore masks. Pure social distancing was not possible, but people were very aware.
Two of the 3 protests mainly consisted of healthcare workers, including doctors. I think they are aware of safety procedures. Do you think we don’t know about COVID at Elmhurst Hospital?
Wow! What an angry, uninformed, and sad post. The BLM movement does not need to, or want to, or plan to, accelerate the death rate in any population!
No. The city must be opened on schedule to get the economy running again. The city allowed the protests to happen, and now we move on, health consequences be damned. You can stay inside if you wish.
“The city allowed the protests to happen.”
Allowed? Funny to see someone with a moniker like yours jonesing so hard for fascism.
Construction never stopped they still did indoor construction. The former Euro pan place the construction still continued.If you noticed the city has not opened The city will open when retailers like Best Buy,shoes and clothing stores and barber shops let people walk in. I have no freaking idea what opened today. But for me we are still the same as yesterday.
I think we should be very concerned about future spread of coronavirus from the massive demonstrations of the past week (and those that continue). I am not saying anything about the demonstrations themselves, but I am concerned about people getting new infections. I asked my primary care doctor about this last week, and he said that it is much too early to tell what will happen. Advised me to take usual precautions; we are not out of the woods yet. I plan to stay out of crowds, wear a mask outdoors, etc. I do hope that the protestors take Cuomo’s advice and get tested, pronto.
Social distancing is crucial*
*Unless you’re shoulder to shoulder with thousands of other protesters. Then somehow it doesn’t count.
Protesters are more diligent about wearing masks than the dozens of people traipsing up and down Broadway with their masks on their chins.
West Sider, will you compile a list of local retailers that are open now for curbside pickup? Would be great to redirect purchases that would otherwise be on Amazon to support local businesses.
Protesters were allowed to flout curfews for as long as they want but my barber can’t reopen and my kids can’t use the playground. This whole “lets not make it worse” attitude is not working. You can’t have half the population shackled by rules while the other half just does what it wants (no matter how good a cause but I think my barber thinks his livelihood is a good cause too).
Our nation was founded on the right to protest, not the right to get your hair cut.
Your haircut isn’t as important as basic human rights. I’m sorry your kids feel cooped up, but imagine how much worse it would be for them, if every time they stepped outside, they were considered a threat.
The protests will lead to more cases, but the protests are more vital that shopping, drinking, beauty, and entertainment. Get a grip.
We should now just be allow to decide our own risks. Like people did protesting. Open up. If you think the playground is too busy – dont go. Lets the rest of take our kids. Mine will be there the moment they open!
Sigh. Did you pay no attention during the first wave of the virus? You’re not only determining YOUR OWN risk. If you get infected, you infect other people, they infect other people, and so on. The risk to people working in drug stores and grocery stores goes up. And of course the risk to health care workers rises. It’s not just about you.
That is why I said ‘now’. The curve is flattened. I was not talking about measurements taken during the first wave.