County Enters Phase III Of COVID-19 Reopening
by Doug La Rocque
If you have been longing for a real sit down meal in your favorite Rensselaer County restaurant, you can, as of Wednesday morning June 17, do so. The county has now taken the next step in the reopening process, meaning that restaurants will again be able to serve food and drink indoors, but are restricted to half capacity, and tables, whether inside or out, must be six feet apart. The staff will have to wear a mask at all times, as will customers, unless seated at their table. The regulations also limit the amount of people at one table to 10.
Other types of businesses that can now reopen include spas, nail and tanning salons, tattoo and piercing facilities and massage therapy.
Previously opened under Phase II were construction and manufacturing, restaurants with take out or curb side, car dealers, real estate, retail, hair salons and dentists as well as office based businesses. Not open yet are shopping malls, except for stores that have their own entrance.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced last week that churches can reopen at 25% capacity, Indian Nation owned casinos and day care were included in the announcement as well.
County’s COVID-19 Numbers Continue To Drop
As of press time, the total number of active cases in the county had dropped to 17, with only two hospitalized and none in ICU. Speaking at his daily Facebook update, Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said “This is very positive news for everyone in Rensselaer County and shows we are making clear progress in the fight against the outbreak.”
A Warning From Governor Cuomo
During his latest daily briefing the Governor said overall he was very pleased with New York State’s road to recovery, but also warned he sees many signs of people ignoring the regulations that are part of his many executive orders. He identified these as younger people, and particularly downstate. He also said that if infection rates start to spike, as they have in several states that have already opened back up, he would not hesitate to roll back some of these reopening provisions.