Long Island News Post Published on June, 19th 2020, Written by Nick P.
Long Island on Pace to Enter Next Phase of Reopening Next Week!
Beginning June 24th, both Nassau and Suffolk Counties are expected to enter Phase 3 of the reopening process. This phase allows for the reopening of food services and personal care businesses.
NY Governor Cuomo announced that Long Island was on pace to enter the next phase of reopening in his daily press conference Wednesday. The most recent health metrics show that New York has contained the Coronavirus spread. Although spikes have occurred in other parts of the country that have recently reopened, New York has not been as affected.
Cuomo used an analogy in which he compared the fight against Coronavirus in New York to climbing a mountain. "New York has climbed the mountain," Cuomo said. "I’m going to declare the COVID mountain, the highest mountain in the state of New York … and it’s a mountain that we had to climb and it went straight up and we couldn’t see the top because the top was in the clouds … It was hard, it was exhausting, it hurt, but you find the top through the clouds, just keep climbing … and we determined the top by flattening the curve … We created the crest … but then we had to come out on the other side.”
He also announced that The state registered 59,342 COVID-19 tests Tuesday, and only 567 of those were found to be positive. This indicates an infection level of 0.96%. The governor also announced that since the Pandemic is now under control, for the most part, he will be ending his daily Coronavirus briefings but still make some appearances.
Take note we are currently still in Phase 2 and may have to remain in that one. But most likely the statistics are looking good for Long Island to enter Phase 2 this coming Wednesday.
The Final 2 Phases of Reopening Long Island Are Below
:
- Phase 3: Restaurants/food services, hotels/accommodations.
- Phase 4: Arts/entertainment/recreation/education.
Phase 3 and 4 are significant as they will allow many social aspects of life to return. Phase 4 is expected to begin a few weeks after we begin Phase 3 if the number of cases remains stable throughout the process.
Why Is Phase 3 Significant To Long Island?
Many people feel as if we are dragging through the reopening process at this point, with good reason. Since the lockdowns began in March, the local economy has been devastated. This has resulted in many people losing their jobs and many having to close the business that they worked years to build.
Phase 3 will hopefully put a spark in the local economy, as restaurants will finally be allowed to host guests indoors. Although restaurants have been open for outdoor dining, not every Long Island Restaurant was able to create outdoor seating arrangements that would entice customers to eat there.
Waterfront restaurants have experienced a surge in business, as they normally seat customers outdoors and can easily comply with the Phase 2 guidelines. However, some restaurants had been forced to seat guests in their parking lot, which does not make for the most enjoyable experience. Therefore, the ability to seat guests inside is expected to be a major spark for these restaurants.
Long Island Going Forward
This has been a very unusual year for not only Long Island, but the entire world. The Spring months were looked over as the mainstream media flooded everyone with fear of the spread of the Coronavirus. The lockdowns caused many people to cancel celebrations such as graduations, birthdays, Easter, Mothers Day, and more. In addition, Long Islanders were just hit with the recent news that Nassau Coliseum would be closing its doors.
Although it's a shame that these events had to be canceled or postponed, we can now look past the Coronavirus and onto better times ahead. This Summer is expected to be a huge rebound for the local Long Island economy, as people are looking to get back to normal life as soon as possible.
Here’s to a great 2020 Long Island Summer!
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Long Island News Post Published June 19th, 2020
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