Dutchess Business Notification Network Update

Update for Tuesday, June 9

• Summary guidelines have been released for Phase 3 reopening. Guidelines for food services are HERE. Guidelines for non-hair related personal care services are HERE.
• County Executive Marcus Molinaro signed a new Executive Order that allows flexibility towards land use laws, rules, and regulations to making it easier for restaurants to reopen using outdoor seating. This will be determined by the local town, village, or city, but his Executive Order gives municipal governments the ability to act if they chose to do so.
• In today’s (Tuesday) press conference, Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed that the Hudson Valley Region is officially in Phase 2 of reopening.
• Governor Cuomo clarified in his press conference that a region would only be shut down if there is a spike in infections that can not be managed through contact tracing those who tested positive. This means that even if there is a rise in positive cases, as long as contact tracers are able to determine where and how those individuals were infected, and how to stop future infections from those “hot spots,” the regions can remain in their current phase and will not have to shutdown again.
• The essential business list has been updated by Empire State Development to include additional outdoor, low-risk activities in the recreation section. That list can be found HERE.
• The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board has published a COVID-19 and Workers’ Compensation Q&A document to answer questions about workers’ compensation benefits to employees who contract COVID-19 while on the job. You can find the document HERE.
• ARE YOU AN EMPLOYER THAT HAS REMAINED AN ESSENTIAL BUSINESS OR ARE YOU PREPARING TO REOPEN YOUR BUSINESS OR NON-PROFIT? THESE ARE IMPORTANT STEPS YOU MUST TAKE:
  1. Go to the NY Forward website HERE. 
  2. Click on “Phase Two Guidance.”
  3. Select your industry by scrolling down on the left side navigation bar.
  4. Click on and read “View Summary Guidelines” for your industry.
  5. Click on and read “Read and Affirm the Detailed Guidelines” for your industry, and then click the link at the bottom of the page or HERE to complete the form and hit submit.
  6. Click on “Print Business Safety Plan Template” for your industry, and then print and fill out the template, and keep on file at your place of business.
  7. Implement the Safety Plan. 

If you have any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other business related concerns and suggestions, please email Contact@DutchessBNN.com. Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your continued support through this time.