It’s been a lot of mixed messages over the last several days, as business owners and residents wonder about the start of ‘Phase 2’ reopening in the Finger Lakes and Central New York.
Bob Duffy, who is leading the regional effort in the Finger Lakes, in consultation with Governor Andrew Cuomo dumped cold water on the idea that the region could move into the next phase as soon as Friday.
“There is no certainty whether it will start Friday or not. We don’t know. We’ll probably find out,” he said on Wednesday. He told News10NBC that he advocates for the region every day, and despite concerns that his voice isn’t getting through to the decision makers in Albany – he responded swiftly. “I advocate for this region every single day,” Duffy continued. “We were the first ones to be announced reopened. Advocacy is working behind the scenes to try to provide data and logic to people that make decisions.”
The region’s hospitalization rate is up, and some say it will take longer than two weeks to determine whether ‘Phase 1’ caused a spike. The Governor had originally established a two-week wait period between phases to give regional leaders a chance to watch the data.
Meanwhile, stores and shopping centers are planning for a weekend opening. Gov. Cuomo is expected to speak on Thursday, and if a region is able to enter Phase 2 reopening on Friday, it’s likely that it will come at that press conference.
This content is brought to you by the FingerLakes1.com Team. Support our mission by visiting www.patreon.com/fl1 or learn how you send us your local content here.