Ulster County Meets All Metrics to Reopen, But Must Wait

Ulster County now meets all of the requirements needed to start a phased reopening from the COVID-19 shutdown but must wait to start reopening.

On Wednesday, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan announced updates to the Ulster County COVID-19 dashboard. The relaunched site now allows users to see where Ulster County and the Mid-Hudson region stands in relation to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s phased reopening metrics.

The updated metrics show Ulster County meets all seven guidelines established by Cuomo to start reopening. However, the reopening is happening by region and not by county.

Ulster County is in the Mid-Hudson region. The region includes Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties. The Mid-Hudson region meets five of the seven metrics.

“Throughout this process, we have made every effort to keep the public informed on the rapidly changing public health situation in Ulster County and our region. While we start to transition from the immediate public health crisis to discuss how we can safely and responsibly reopen our area, it is imperative that we maintain the same level of transparency,” County Executive Pat

Under Cuomo's plan, a region can start Phase 1 of the reopening process on May 15 if all seven metrics are hit. Phase 1 includes the reopening of construction, manufacturing, retail with curbside pickup, wholesale trade, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting.

On Wednesday, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said standing alone Dutchess County does not meet all seven metrics. He also called into question one of the seven metrics, a decline in deaths. Molinaro believes an increase or decrease in deaths doesn't prove if the region is equipped to battle a potential second wave of the virus.

Cuomo's New York State on PAUSE order expires on Friday. Cuomo has laid out seven metrics, based on CDC recommendations, regions must meet to reopen, including hospital capacity, daily deaths and new infections.

On Wednesday, he announced the North Country joined the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley and the Southern Tier regions in meeting the metrics to start Phase 1 of the reopening process on May 15.