In light of what I have been through, contracting coronavirus and now recovering from the insidious disease, I want to urge everyone to continue to observe recommended health guidelines to prevent further spread. I have heard of those who are not taking health recommendations seriously, and I can tell you from my experience – that is a crucial mistake.
New York State will recover from this pandemic and we need to be preparing a blueprint to reopen businesses and get people back to work. However, now is not the time to relax our vigilance. Following safety guidelines has put us in position to start looking ahead, and I urge everyone to keep up the fight. Among the most recently implemented state requirements, any individual who is over age two is required to cover their nose and mouth with a mask or cloth face-covering when in a public place and unable to maintain, or when not maintaining, social distance.
A full list of recommended guidelines, along with other key updates are available on the New York State Health Department website at coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home. The website is a clearinghouse of information that includes links to all of the governor’s executive orders issued during the pandemic, information regarding price gouging, and a directory for county health departments.
As we continue to follow recommended health and safety guidelines, it is also time to start developing a commonsense approach to reopen our state. A number of local governments and business officials are working on proposals and the state needs to closely examine and consider their work. I have joined with members of the Senate Republican Conference in calling on Governor Cuomo to provide data on which of the state’s economic regions meet the CDC’s Phase 1 standards to restart business. These assessments must be released to the public so that parts of the state can begin to recover from the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic in a safe way. Governor Cuomo must include the state Department of Health, local departments of health, local officials, local businesses, and industry leaders in this process.
