NYS Releases Detailed Guidance for Businesses Reopening in Phase TwoNew York State has released detailed Guidance for businesses allowed to reopen in Phase Two. These businesses include:
- Offices
- Real Estate
- Essential and Phase II In-Store Retail
- Vehicle Sales, Leases, and Rentals
- Retail Rental, Repair, and Cleaning
- Commercial Building Management
- Hair Salons and Barbershops
The NYS Summary Guidelines, Detailed Guidance and Affirmation, Business Safety Plan Template for Phase Two businesses can be found here.
Reminder, Westchester County is currently in Phase One of reopening.
NYS Guidance for phase one reopening is available here.
Each company seeking to reopen must document a detailed plan for a safe reopening. Click here to find a template for a Business Reopening Safety Plan for businesses reopening on Phase One.
Each company seeking to reopen must read the detailed Guidance provided by NYS and submit an affirmation. Click here to find the affirmation for businesses opening in Phase One.
NYS Rolls Out Tool to Help Determine if a Business is Eligible to ReopenBusinesses looking to determine if they are eligible to reopen can now use the New York Forward Business Reopening Lookup Tool which can be found here. A few points on this tool:
- This online tool will help businesses determine whether or not they are eligible to reopen, and the public health and safety standards with which they must comply.
- To use the tool, start by selecting your county, and then your industry / NAICS Code.
- This online tool will be updated regularly as guidance evolves.
NYS Issues Detailed Guidance for Phase One Reopening
NYS has released detailed guidelines for a phased reopening of businesses. The Interim Guidance consists of specific guidelines for businesses opening in
Phase 1:
- Construction
- Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
- Retail – (Limited to curbside or in-store pickup or drop off)
- Manufacturing
- Wholesale Trade
The guidance provides more specificity on the businesses that are included in the five general business categories above. There is documentation on mandatory guidelines and recommended best practices by industry for employers and employees. The State has also made available a business reopening safety plan template to guide business owners and operators in developing plans to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
As a reminder, Westchester County, which is part of the Mid-Hudson region, has attained 5 of the 7 milestones for reopening as of 5/21/20. The phased reopening of non-essential business will be permitted once the region has attained all 7 milestones.
See the Regional Monitoring Dashboard for the latest assessment.
Contact Tracers, Team Supervisors and Community Support Specialists Needed in the New York State COVID-19 Contact Tracing Initiative
Would you like to become a part of the COVID-19 Contact Tracing Initiative? New York State is now searching for people to fill three types of jobs: Contact Tracers, Team Supervisors and Community Support Specialists. Visit this website to apply today.
- Contact Tracers are responsible for reaching out to the contacts of anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 to assess symptoms, ensure quarantine compliance and determine social support needs.
- Team Supervisors lead a team of 20 Contact Tracers, and one Community Support Specialist who are working remotely, using digital tools.
- Community Support Specialists work with the team and the local health departments to address the physical/mental health, and social/human service needs of each family, especially for those who are in isolation or under quarantine.
New York State plans to hire a team of 6,400 to 17,000 staff, to support the New York State Department of Health and local health departments in performing contact tracing in communities across the state. The final number of staff will also depend on the projected total number of COVID-19 cases.
More information about how to apply to be a part of the NYS Contact Tracing Team can be found on the Westchester County Health Department Coronavirus Page. Visit the New York State website to find out more about how you can help
Upcoming Virtual Events
E-Commerce: Are You Set Up to Sell Virtually?
Jann Mirchandani will lead you in this workshop where you can learn how to set e-commerce up for your business. This is a part of the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce’s Restart Rebound Rebuild series.
Date: Friday May 22
Time: 12:00 PM
Work for Yourself @50+
Have you always wanted to start your own business? This WEDCworkshop will help you gain the knowledge, support, and resources you need to make informed decisions about working for yourself and take the right first steps toward successful self-employment.
Date: Friday, May 22
Time: 12:00 PM
Paint Your Business Model Canvas
At this WEDC workshop you’ll learn how to review and test your business ideas with a proven and practical method known as the “Business Model Canvas.” You’ll learn how to distill your business model to a single page and quickly execute rational decisions for starting and growing your business.
Date: Wednesday, May 27
Time: 10:00 AM
The Transition Back to the New Normal
There is an overwhelming amount of information to consider as companies prepare to reopen their businesses and/or have employees, customers and clients return to the workplace. There are a number of actions you can take to help ensure their safety and to avoid mistakes that could harm your business. Join us for a free workshop about the transition back to the new normal, where we will review issues you should consider and steps you should take to prepare. We will also provide participants with a checklist of areas to address when developing their transition plans.
Date: Wednesday, May 27
Time: 12:00 PM
Email us at info@kphradvisors.com and we will sent you the Zoom link for the meeting.
Best Practices for Reopening Westchester
Westchester County Association presents this workshop with a panel of experts from Montefiore, Mercer, and ENT & Allergy Associates about safely reopening your office space. This panel of experts will share best practices on ensuring that the working environment is clean and policies and procedures are in place to protect the health of employees.
Date: Wednesday, May 27
Time: 2:00 PM
Register: Westchester County Association
To see our list of upcoming events and recordings of prior events, go to: Westchestercatalyst.com/events
