Here’s What Businesses Are Considered ‘Essential’ in New York
Here's a list of the businesses New York State considers "essential."
On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced all non-essential businesses must have 100 percent of its workforce work from home.
“We’re all in quarantine now. We’re all in various levels of quarantine and it’s hard,” Cuomo said. "This is not life as usual. Accept it. Realize it and deal with it.”
The new rule doesn't apply to essential services like supermarkets, pharmacies, medical facilities and gas stations.
Below is what the Empire State Development considers an essential business in New York.
1. Essential health care operations including
- research and laboratory services
hospitals - walk-in-care health facilities
- veterinary and animal health services
- elder care
- medical wholesale and distribution
- home health care workers or aides
- doctor and dentist offices
- nursing homes, or residential health care facilities or congregate care facilities
- medical supplies and equipment providers
2. Essential infrastructure including
- utilities including power generation, fuel supply and transmission
- public water and wastewater
- telecommunications and data centers
- airports/airlines
- transportation infrastructure such as bus, rail, or for-hire vehicles, garages
3. Essential manufacturing including
- food processing, including all foods and beverages
chemicals - medical equipment/instruments
- pharmaceuticals
- safety and sanitary products
- telecommunications
- microelectronics/semi-conductor
- agriculture/farms
- paper products
4. Essential retail including
- grocery stores including all food and beverage stores
- pharmacies
- convenience stores
- farmer’s markets
- gas stations
- restaurants/bars (but only for take-out/delivery)
- hardware and building material stores
5. Essential services including
- trash and recycling collection, processing and disposal
- mail and shipping services
- laundromats/dry cleaning
- building cleaning and maintenance
- child care services
- auto repair
- warehouse/distribution and fulfillment
- funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries
- storage for essential businesses
- animal shelters or animal care or management
6. News media
7. Financial Institutions including
- banks
- insurance
- payroll
- accounting
8. Providers of basic necessities to economically disadvantaged populations including
- homeless shelters and congregate care facilities
- food banks
- human services providers whose function includes the direct care of patients in
- state-licensed or funded voluntary programs; the care, protection, custody and
- oversight of individuals both in the community and in state-licensed residential
- facilities; those operating community shelters and other critical human services
- agencies providing direct care or support
9. Construction including
- skilled trades such as electricians, plumbers
- other related construction firms and professionals for essential infrastructure or for
- emergency repair and safety purposes
10. Defense
- defense and national security-related operations supporting the U.S. Government or a contractor to the US government
11. Essential services necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operations of residences or other essential businesses including
- law enforcement
- fire prevention and response
- building code enforcement
- security
- emergency management and response
- building cleaners or janitors
- general maintenance whether employed by the entity directly or a vendor
- automotive repair
- disinfection
- doormen
12. Vendors that provide essential services or products, including logistics and technology support, child care and services needed to ensure the continuing operation of government agencies and provide for the health, safety and welfare of the public including
- logistics
- technology support
- child care programs and services
- government owned or leased buildings
- essential government services
- If the function of your business is not listed above, but you believe that it is
- essential or it is an entity providing essential services or functions, you may
- request designation as an essential business.
Requests by businesses to be designated an essential function as described above should only be made if they are not covered by the guidance. To request designation as an essential business, please click here.
Cuomo noted he took drastic action on Monday, by closing all restaurants, bars, gyms and movie theaters in the state, but noted on Tuesday more "dramatic steps" will likely need to be taken.
Restaurants are allowed to offer take-out and delivery services. Bars can also stay open for take-out or delivery.
More "dramatic steps" were announced late Wednesday, all indoor portions of malls, bowling alleys and amusement parks must close by 8 p.m. on Thursday. There's no word on how long the new restrictions will be in place. However, stores with their own outdoor entrance can stay open.
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