It’s been a crazy couple of months, right? Well, we hit whatever levels we were supposed to hit, and now, we’re in the first phase of reopening. What does that mean, though?
If you’ve been following the updates then you probably have a solid idea what exactly is happening tomorrow. If not, let me explain.
Albany, Greene, Columbia, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties have all hit the marks we were supposed to and can now begin to reopen. There are four phases which will eventually lead to live going back to some kind of normal. The Times Union did a solid breakdown over what each of these steps mean.
According to New York Magazine, phase one includes “construction, manufacturing, wholesale supply chain businesses to reopen, as well as some retailers for curbside pickup.” This phase will last two weeks and then, the state will reevaluate to see if we can move on to the next phase.
Phase Two: “storefront retailers and businesses in the professional services, finance and insurance, administrative support, and real-estate and rental-leasing industries.”
Phase Three: “the hospitality industry, allowing restaurants and other food-service businesses to reopen for dine-in service, as well as hotels — which are already considered essential businesses and are allowed to serve overnight guests, but this phase will likely mean they will be able to reopen their dine-in restaurants, spas, and gyms.”
Phase Four: “schools, and arts, entertainment, and recreation businesses to reopen — including theaters, movie theaters, and other entertainment venues, as well as museums and other artistic institutions.”
As you can see, phase one doesn’t really affect majority of people, except for those who are allowed to return to their jobs. It just means if we can keep our numbers down, don’t worry, you’ll be able to get your hair cut soon.