From today’s New York Gov. daily …
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined the state’s phased reopening at a news conference Sunday saying it will be important to base the strategy on a “regional analysis.”
“Look at the regional analysis. Make a determination. And then monitor whatever you do,” he said about the plan.
The phases are:
- Phase 1: Construction and manufacturing activities – and within that “those businesses that have a low risk” Cuomo said.
- Phase 2: More of a business by business analysis – using a matrix that determines how essential a service that business provides and how “risky” is that business and how “important” is it for that business to reopen.
Cuomo said the second phase is “going to be up to businesses.”
Business have to do the matrix analysis themselves to determine how risky it would be for them to reopen, and then outline how they will put safety precautions in place, the governor added.
“Businesses, you develop a plan on how you want to reopen given everything we know,” Cuomo said.
There will be two weeks in between the phases to monitor the effects and determine the next steps, the governor said.
Sounds smart: manufacturing organizations have protocols by their nature, safety guidelines, operate (or can operate) with staggered shifts, physical distancing, and are able to use technology such as fever scanners, no-contact thermometers, contact tracing, PPE, etc. Many have mask and glove use protocols preceding COVID-19, and have or will have specific protocols for sanitation.
Next up: Mayor Establishes Two Task Forces on City Restart and Recovery –
A Task Force on racial equity will be led by First Lady Chirlane McCray and Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson. There will be separate task forces focused on reopening each industry, and there will be a new Fair Recovery Task Force whose members include:
- Patrick Gaspard who served in the Obama administration
- Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch who helped steer the city through the financial crisis of the 70s
- Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies
- Carl Weisbrod, a Senior Advisor
- Henry Garrido, Executive Director of District Council 37
- Maria Torres Springer, VP for US Programs
- Liz Neumark, CEO, Great Performances
- Fred Wilson, Partner at Union Square Ventures
The preliminary report from this task force is due June 1st.
This is good news, worth noting Fred Wilson is on there, so we’re hoping that some of the education efforts will include educational electronics for at-home / distance learning as well in classroom, that would be made in NYC by a minority / women-owned business and manufacturer, Adafruit.
Fred has done a lot for CS education in NYC, this is a great opportunity for all New Yorkers for a fair recovery.
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today outlined a phased plan to re-open New York and re-imagine a new normal for the state starting with construction and manufacturing. The plan will be implemented in phases and will be based on regional analysis and determinations. Based on CDC recommendations, once a region experiences a 14-day decline in the hospitalization rate they may begin a phased re-opening. The State is closely monitoring the hospitalization rate, the infection rate and the number of positive antibody tests, as well as the overall public health impact, and will make adjustments to the plan and other decisions based on these indicators.
Phase one will include opening construction and manufacturing functions with low risk.
Phase two will open certain industries based on priority and risk level. Businesses considered “more essential” with inherent low risks of infection in the workplace and to customers will be prioritized, followed by other businesses considered “less essential” or those that present a higher risk of infection spread. As the infection rate declines, the pace of reopening businesses will be increased.
The region must not open attractions or businesses that would draw a large number of visitors from outside the local area.
There will be two weeks in between each phase to monitor the effects of the re-opening and ensure hospitalization and infection rates are not increasing.
This plan will be implemented with multi-state coordination, especially in downstate New York. The plan will also coordinate the opening of transportation systems, parks, schools, beaches and businesses with special attention on summer activities for downstate, public housing and low-income communities, food banks and child care.
The phased re-opening will also be based on individual business and industry plans that include new measures to protect employees and consumers, make the physical work space safer and implement processes that lower risk of infection in the business. The state is consulting with local leaders in each region and industry to formulate these plans.
“We’ve been talking about re-opening the state and re-imagining a new New York, and to do that we’re going to have to make governmental decisions in partnership with business decisions,” Governor Cuomo said. “Every business leader understands that we can’t just re-open and go back to where we were and what we were doing before – we have to move forward in light of the circumstances that have developed. So we are going to re-open the economy in phases, based on regional and specific industry determinations and CDC guidelines, and in the midst of all this continuing to monitor the public health impact because all that progress we made by flattening that curve we could lose in a matter of days if we’re not careful.”
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