NYC Phase One Re-Opening Guide

It’s been a tough three months, especially for the frontline workers who have saved so many lives, for the families of loved ones who did not survive, and for those of us who have lost our jobs.

As NYC re-opens under Phase One rules, here is what to expect for restaurants, shopping, construction and manufacturing businesses. 

Retailers can reopen for curbside and in-store pick-up, but customers are not allowed inside for another couple of weeks.  You must wear a mask to enter a store in NYC, even for in-store pick-up.

Restaurants remain open for take-out and delivery only.

Also, NYC subways and busses return to regular service.

Retail businesses authorized to reopen for curbside and in-store pick up:

– Clothing stores
– Direct selling establishments
– Electronics and appliance stores
– Electronic shopping and mail-order houses
– Furniture and home furnishing stores
– Florists
– General merchandise stores
– Health and personal care stores
– Jewelry, luggage, and leather goods stores
– Lawn and garden supplies stores
– Office supplies, stationery, and gift stores
– Used merchandise stores
– Shoe stores
– Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument and bookstores
– Other miscellaneous store retailers

Construction industry authorized to reopen:

– Building equipment contractors
– Building finishing contractors
– Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors
– Highway, street and bridge construction
– Land subdivision
– Nonresidential building construction
– Residential building construction
– Utility system construction

Manufacturing businesses authorized to reopen:

– Apparel manufacturing
– Computer and electronic product manufacturing
– Electric lighting manufacturing
– Fabricated metal product manufacturing
– Leather and allied product manufacturing
– Machinery manufacturing
– Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing
– Paper manufacturing
– Petroleum and coal products manufacturing
– Plastics and rubber products manufacturing
– Printing and related support activities
– Textile mills
– Textile product mills

Wholesale and Trade businesses authorized to reopen:

– Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers
– Chemical and allied products merchant wholesalers
– Furniture and home furnishing merchant wholesalers
– Household appliances and electrical and electronic goods merchant wholesalers
– Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers
– Metal and mineral (except petroleum) merchant wholesalers
– Paper and paper product merchant wholesalers
– Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers
– Wholesale electronic markets and agents and brokers
– Miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesalers
– Miscellaneous nondurable goods merchant wholesalers

What’s Next

Governor Cuomo said that businesses that are most essential and pose the lowest risk will be the first to open.

Phase 1: Construction, retail (Limited to curbside or in-store pickup or drop off), agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, manufacturing, wholesale Trade

Phase 2: Professional services, retail, real estate

Phase 3: Restaurants, food services etc.

Phase 4: Arts, sports, education.

Social distancing and safety

New York state requires employers to conduct employee health screening. The staff will be reminded to monitor their health closely and stay home if sick.

Staff who arrive to work sick or become sick at work will be sent home immediately.

Employers should relax leave policies to encourage staff to stay home until they meet the criteria for ending self-isolation. It is also essential to promote physical distancing, good hand hygiene and regular use of face coverings – these precautions are essential to protecting against the spread of COVID-19, especially if someone is sick but does not have symptoms.