Business Reopening

Governor Cuomo has outlined a Phased Re-Opening Plan for businesses in New York State starting May 15th. The full online guide is located here. A region-by-region dashboard has been created to track each region's readiness to begin re-opening. The Central New York Region met the requirements for Phase I re-opening on May 14. Details of the types of businesses that can re-open in Phase I and guidelines for those businesses can be found here.


Phase 3 Preliminary Information

Phase 3 will begin after a two-week period from the start of Phase 2 (estimated to be June 12), as long as the health data show the region can enter the new phase safely. Phase 3 will allow even more businesses to reopen, including limited indoor service for restaurants and personal care services.

Other Helpful Tips

  • Summary guidance for Food Services (Restaurants, etc..) is located here.

  • Summary guidance for Personal Care businesses is located here.

Phase 2 Information

Phase 2 is now active, as long as the health data show the region can enter the new phase safely. Phase 2 allows even more businesses to reopen, including professional services, hair salons and barber shops, more retail stores, administrative support and real estate businesses.

Other Helpful Tips

  • Summary of Guidelines for Phase 2 Office reopening is located here.

  • Outdoor dining is now open in our region. Full-service outdoor dining is permissible for any restaurant located within Madison County. Any owner, or responsible party designated by the owner, must provide for proper liability insurance to be in place where outdoor seating is situated within a public right-of-way. Such outdoor dining must comport with New York State COVID-19 related requirements regarding social distancing, face coverings, and cleaning/disinfection. Local restaurants in the Village of Cazenovia that wish to take advantage of outdoor dining as noted in the County Order need to complete a brief application at the Village Office, provide proof of insurance and follow the health and safety guidelines in the Village's existing "Sidewalk Cafe" ordinance.

  • In this article from The New Yorker, Atul Gawande explains how businesses can minimize the virus’s spread when they reopen: by copying what hospitals are doing with their employees. He lists five steps, including requiring workers to log on and confirm that they don’t have symptoms, as a condition of entering the office each day.

  • CenterState CEO has launched a Back to Business Re-opening Toolkit to assist businesses for their safe return to on-site operations in accordance with state guidance. New York state requires businesses to develop plans to protect employees and consumers, make the physical work space safer and implement processes that lower risk of infection in the business. This toolkit provides recommendations, procedures and considerations to develop safe, effective, and thorough re-opening plans. All businesses should also refer to CDC guidance, Gov. Cuomo's New York Forward re-opening guidelines, and local authorities for the phased re-opening of industries, and current health and safety protocols. This guidance is intended for informational and planning purposes only.

  • The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) hosted a national online dialogue to solicit ideas about challenges that may be faced as businesses reopen and how best to help employers and workers reopen America's workplaces safely. Submissions include tips on (1) reopening businesses, (2) commuting safely, (3) working safely, (4) accommodating members of vulnerable populations, (5) supporting America's families, and (6) reducing regulatory burdens.

  • The CDC has reopening guidance on how best to clean and disinfect workplaces. This site contains environment and industry-specific guidance (e.g.- dental offices, childcare settings, etc..) as well as links to further information. Business specific details on how to keep employees healthy and maintain a healthy business operation can be found here.

  • The National Restaurant Association has issued a document that incorporates best practices from ServSafe, academia, government and industry to provide guidance on food safety, health and hygiene, cleaning, and social distancing in response to COVID-19.


Phase 1 Information

In Phase 1, retail stores can reopen for curbside pickup, or in-store pickup. Residential and commercial construction can resume, and so can manufacturing. Greenhouses and nurseries can reopen, as can several other industries. Phase 1 businesses must follow specific guidelines and follow the below steps before reopening. For example, for retail stores, customers must order ahead for curbside or in-store pickup, and social distancing is required inside the store. For construction, masks must be worn within 6 feet of another worker and employers must provide masks. Business owners can see the detailed industry-by-industry requirements here. Every business is required to develop a written plan using a template provided by the state that puts the safety of their customers and employees first (see below). Officials will carefully monitor health data on a daily basis to ensure the safety of employees, customers and all New Yorkers.

Steps to Reopen

Businesses must do three things before they can official re-open:

  1. Have a Safety Plan

    • Each business will be required to have a site-specific safety plan in order to reopen. This is to ensure that each business has considered its specific space, challenges and solutions for preventing the spread of coronavirus. Business owners will not be required to submit the plan for approval before opening. The written plan must be on the premises of your business.

    • An optional template for the safety plan can be found here. Business owners can use the template or develop their own plan as long as it covers all the necessary safety precautions.

  2. Read industry-specific guidance

    • The state is releasing industry-specific guidance for businesses that are allowed to open in each phase. So far the state has posted the following industry-specific guidance for Phase I:

If your industry is not listed, it is not included in Phase One of the reopening.

  1. Certify your business

    • The final step for small business owners, after reading the detailed guidelines and coming up with a site-specific plan for reopening is to certify your business with the state. For this, you will be required to provide your business name and contact information and affirm that your business is in an industry that has been identified by the state as allowed to reopen. You can certify your business here