Governor Cuomo extends Phase 1, North Country leaders outraged
Update 11:18 pm: By late Thursday night, Jefferson County lawmaker Scott Gray had softened his tone, saying progress had been made after he had “a congenial call” with state officials.
Also late Thursday, the state released specific health and safety guidelines for businesses to reopen under phase two. But no date was set for when that will take effect.
The state's phased-in reopening of the economy erupted into confusion late Thursday, after Governor Andrew Cuomo put the kibosh on the idea that the North Country—or any region in the state—will move into the second phase of reopening Friday morning. Regional leaders had spent the day saying their parts of the state had the green light to move to phase two.
"We’ll give the experts all the data," Cuomo said in an interview on public radio station WAMC Thursday afternoon. "It’s posted on the web, but let them analyze it. And if they say we should move forward, we move forward."
Cuomo has said repeatedly the reopening process must proceed cautiously, prioritizing public health and people's lives over the economy.
Regional leaders left speechless
In a conference call meeting Thursday evening with members of the regional "Control Rooms,"— the groups of local officials charged with counseling the Governor on reopening the regions of the state —Cuomo's staff said the process was on pause.
According to Scott Gray, Jefferson County legislative chairman and North Country "Control Room" member, state officials referenced "data that’s granular that’s fed into the metrics that’s concerning." They gave no further details and said no region is authorized to begin Phase 2 right now.
No other information or statement was released by the Governor's Office Thursday night.
Regional leaders across the state expressed shock, having spent Thursday announcing phase two would begin Friday. "It’s unbelievable. I don’t even know what to say. It defies logic," Gray said Thursday night after the conference call, which he described as "very unpleasant", with many regional leaders outraged at the short notice.
State lawmakers from both parties expressed their displeasure. Republican Assemblyman Mark Walcyzk blamed Cuomo for “indecision” in a tweet. Democratic Assemblyman Billy Jones tweeted the decision was “unfair and frustrating.”
A return to New York on Pause until further notice
Gray said the sudden reversal “smears” the Control Room's credibility. "We were told by his staff, by the staff of the Governor’s office, we were told that it is a natural progression, that at 12:01 on Friday morning we would reopen [into phase two]."
Fellow "Control Room" member Ron McDougall of the Jefferson-Lewis-St. Lawrence Central Trades and Labor Council had also been under the understanding that the region was on track for phase two at midnight. "That's subject to change," McDougall had warned, if the public health metrics change significantly. But he said Thursday afternoon that was unlikely, since the state's own dashboard of data showed the North Country passed all seven metrics designed to prevent another outbreak of COVID-19.
As of Thursday afternoon, the state still hadn't released specific guidelines for businesses covered under the second phase to reopen. But retailers, real estate, and furniture stores, and some offices in the North Country region were developing plans to open again as soon as midnight on Friday. Hair salons, tattoo shops, and massage therapy services—also included in Phase 2—were also in the process of preparing to reopen.
