If New York City is allowed to begin reopening June 8 as Gov. Andrew Cuomo previously said, that does not mean everything returns to normal that day.

In reality, entering Phase 1 is similar to the current situation, but it allows more businesses to participate.

“Remember that reopening does not mean that we’re going back to the way things were,” Cuomo said. “Life is not about going back. Nobody goes back. We go forward. And it’s going to be different. This is about reopening to a new normal — a safer normal. People will be wearing masks and people will be socially distanced — it’s a new way of interacting, which is what we have to do. Wear a mask, get tested and socially distance.”

The regional opening plan was announced by Cuomo in early May and consists of four phases. In each phase, different restrictions will be lifted if the region qualifies.

So far, four of the state’s 10 regions are in Phase 1. Another five have advanced to Phase 2.

In Phase 1, non-essential industries will be allowed to open under low-contact conditions. Those industries include construction, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, limited retail service, manufacturing and wholesale trade.

Each business will have to adhere to physical distancing, protective equipment, hygiene and cleaning, communication and screening guidelines set by the state.

Within each industry, social distancing of six feet must be enforced and face coverings must be provided at no-cost to employees.

Mandatory screening also will be required, including potential temperature checks or questionnaires.

All guidelines must be clearly communicated to employees before or at their return to work.

Here are the guidelines for each industry:

CONSTRUCTION

The construction that will be allowed to resume includes:

• Building Equipment Contractors
• Building Finishing Contractors
• Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors
• Highway, Street and Bridge Construction
• Land Subdivision
• Nonresidential Building Construction
• Residential Building Construction
• Utility System Construction

Indoor construction must be limited to one worker per 250 square feet, and in tightly confined spaces, only one worker should be present.

A full list of construction requirements can be found here.

AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, FISHING & HUNTING

The businesses that will be allowed to open in this industry include non-essential animal and crop production and support activities for animal production, crop production and forestry.

In agricultural work, the workforce must be restricted to no more than 50% of the maximum occupancy for a particular area at a time.

For anything in the forestry industry occurring indoors, the workforce presence must be limited to one worker per 250 square feet.

There are different guidelines for commercial and other vessels and boats. Commercial vessels must only have the minimum number of crew members necessary for safe operations. All other vessels must have no more than the maximum number of people who can maintain a distance of six feet.

Walk-in fishing will be permitted as long as personal contact is minimized and social distancing protocols are followed.

A list of agriculture, forestry and fishing guidelines are on the government’s website.

RETAIL SERVICE

Retail service will be limited to delivery, curbside and in-store pickup.

The list of retail stores that can open includes:

• Clothing Stores
• Direct Selling Establishments
• Electronics and Appliance Stores
• Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses
• Furniture and Home Furnishing Stores
• Florists
• General Merchandise Stores
• Health and Personal Care Stores
• Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods Stores
• Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Stores
• Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Stores
• Used Merchandise Stores
• Shoe Stores
• Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument and Book Stores
• Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers

Indoor retail workforces must be limited to only the employees necessary to conduct curbside and in-store pickup with no more than 50% of the maximum occupancy for the area. This includes employees and customers.

A full list of mandatory retail guidelines can be found here.

MANUFACTURING

Non-essential manufacturing will be able to resume business, including:

• Apparel Manufacturing
• Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
• Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing
• Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
• Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
• Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing
• Machinery Manufacturing
• Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
• Paper Manufacturing
• Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
• Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
• Printing and Related Support Activities
• Textile Mills
• Textile Product Mills
• Wood Product Manufacturing
• Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing

Similar to other industries, for work occurring indoors, the workforce should be limited to 50% of maximum occupancy.

Full guidelines for the manufacturing industry are available online.

WHOLESALE TRADE

The follow categories of wholesale trade are eligible to reopen in Phase 1:

• Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers
• Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers
• Furniture and Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
• Household Appliances and Electrical and Electronic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
• Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
• Metal and Mineral (except Petroleum) Merchant Wholesalers
• Paper and Paper Product Merchant Wholesalers
• Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
• Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers
• Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers
• Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers

The workforce presence must be restricted to 50% of the maximum occupancy.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

An evaluation two weeks after New York City enters Phase 1 will determine if the city is eligible to enter Phase 2. Every two weeks after a new phase is entered, the status of the region will be reevaluated.

In Phase 2, storefront retailers and businesses in professional services, finance and insurance, administrative support, real-estate and rental-leasing industries will be allowed to open.

In Phase 3, restaurants and other food services will be allowed to reopen for dine-in service. Hotels, which already are essential, will be able to reopen their restaurants, spas and gyms.

In the final phase, schools, arts and entertainment can reopen. This includes theaters, entertainment and sporting venues, museums and more.

The Article was published on silive.com