Upstate New York Regions Unable to Begin Phase 2 of Reopening

For the regions in New York State that began reopening under phase 1 on May 15, they were hoping to begin phase 2 Friday, May 29.

The Times Union reports that New York State officials advised local officials who thought they could reopen this week that they cannot. State officials told local officials of the five upstate regions that they would not be eligible to move into phase two of reopening. It was thought that it would be a two-week gap between phases.

The five regions that began reopening under phase one on May 15, 2020, were the Finger Lakes, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, and Central New York. Phase two was planned to begin on Friday, May 29, 2020, for those five regions. Phase two would include hair salons, retail stores, real estate, and other businesses to open. However, local officials are saying that phase two could begin as soon as Saturday, May 30, 2020, according to the Times Union.

The reason for the hold-up is because state leaders said that no region can move onto phase two before international experts review the data of each region. Once this data is reviewed, a decision will be made if a region can open under phase two, according to the Times Union.

Then, the regions – the Mohawk Valley, North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and central New York – held "control room" phone calls with local and state officials Thursday at 7 p.m., where state leaders made it official: No region would move on to Phase 2 on Friday. Instead, international experts would review each region's data first before making a decision.

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