Governor Andrew Cuomo officially announced Wednesday the changes to NY Forward Phase 4. According to Madison County officials, leaders in the Central New York region learned about those changes from state representatives on the daily conference call last night.
“I don’t understand,” said Madison County Chairman John M. Becker. “Our leaders, communities and businesses were led to believe that there were four phases to reopening. Now that does not seem to be the case. How many phases are there? Are there phases five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10?
“Our restaurants, malls, movie theaters, schools, gyms and more are ready to open. They have plans in place to protect their employees, as well as patrons. Let us reopen. How does it make sense that a store that has an outside door to a mall can open, but the stores on the inside of the mall cannot?”
Madison County is part of the Central New York region set up by the Governor’s Office as part of the phased reopening plan, Becker said.
“Leaders have been working hard to make sure the region is ready, exceeding the metrics established by the state and making sure our businesses and community know the guidelines that are passed down. We are withdrawing from the daily control room calls. Recently, they have become a waste of our time.
“All the state had to say is that the original Phase 4 is on hold for right now. Instead, they are moving the goal post once again. No one wants a second wave of this horrible virus, but our community is ready. People are taking the proper precautions; let us get our economy moving again, our businesses open and our lives back to normal.”