In preparation for the Capital Region to begin Phase II of re-opening, the Greene County Economic Recovery Team would like to share the following important details to assist your business.
Phase 1 began on May 20th and businesses which have been open for over a week now include Construction, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, Retail – (Limited to curbside or in-store pickup or drop off), Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade.
Phase 2 could begin as soon as Wednesday, June 3rd with the reopening of all office-based jobs, real estate services, retail – in-store shopping, and limited barbershop and hair salon services.
Late on Thursday, NYS released “Interim Guidance for Essential & Phase II Retail Business Activities during the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis”
As well as Guidelines that must be Affirmed by business owners and Business Safety Plan (BSP) Templates for specific industries including:
- Office Guidelines
- Real Estate Guidelines
- In-Store Retail Guidelines
- Vehicle Sales, Leases & Rentals Guidelines
- Retail Rental, Repair & Cleaning Guidelines
- Commercial Building Management Guidelines
- Business Safety Plan Template for All Industries
The guidelines above apply to non-essential businesses in regions that are permitted to reopen, essential businesses throughout the state that were previously permitted to remain open, and commercial and recreational activities that have been permitted to operate statewide with restrictions. If guidance has not yet been published for your specific industry, but you are permitted to reopen, please refer to the NY Forward Safety Plan template.
Employers reopening MUST have a plan. You can use the business safety plan template as a guide. You may also want to review CDC guidelines and OSHA protocols.
You do NOT as of this time need to file your plan with any federal, state, region, county or local agency. Your plan needs to be in writing and made available should any state or local health agency inspect your facility. While some in the region are inviting employers to sign an online pledge form indicating you agree to follow certain safety rules, you do NOT need to do so. It is voluntary at this time.
New York State has changed it’s COVID 19 testing rules to allow any individual who is returning to work in Phase 1 to be tested. Please click here for more details. At this time, employers are not required to have their returning employees tested.
