Downtown Business Resources: Preparing to Re-open

Downtown Syracuse Business and Property Owners,

By the end of this week, we will know if Onondaga County meets the established criteria to begin Phase One of the New York Forward re-opening plan.

Will your business be eligible to re-open under Phase One?

New York State has categorized industries into the following four phases of re-opening:

Phase One	Phase Two	Phase Three	Phase Four
Construction Manufacturing Retail (curbside pickup) Wholesale trade Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting	Professional services Retail Administrative support Real Estate / rental & leasing	Restaurants / Food Services	Arts Entertainment Recreation Education

New this week, New York State specified that Phase One will include not only manufacturing and construction, but also certain Retail activity. The following retail businesses will be permitted to conduct delivery and curbside pickup when Onondaga County is approved for Phase One re-opening:

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 Equipment and Supplies Stores
Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Stores
Used Merchandise Stores
Shoe Stores
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument and Book Stores
Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers

What does this mean for Downtown Syracuse?

Construction projects (residential and non-residential) are eligible to resume when Onondaga County is approved for Phase One re-opening. Most street-level retailers will also be permitted to re-open in some capacity, using delivery and/or curbside pickup. For example, while salons and barbers remain on "pause," they will be allowed to sell personal care products to customers for curbside pickup. Similarly, while customers will not be allowed to browse inside housewares, clothing, and jewelry stores, they can browse online listings and arrange to pick up their merchandise curbside. Stores will be allowed to have multiple employees on-site to fulfill delivery and curbside orders, provided that each retailer's re-opening plan meets the state criteria.

What are the criteria - or how will your business be allowed to re-open?

According to New York State, all businesses - including essential businesses - must develop a COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan. Every COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan should address the three elements of NY's Business Safety Precautions:

Protections for employees and customers - including possible adjustments to workplace hours and shift design as necessary to reduce density in the workplace; enacting social distancing protocols, and restricting non-essential travel for employees;
Changes to the physical workspace - including requiring all employees and customers to wear masks if in frequent close contact with others, and implementing strict cleaning and sanitation standards; and
Implementing processes that meet our changing public health obligations - such as screening individuals when they enter the workplace, or reporting confirmed positives to customers.

Assistance with drafting your COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan

The state recognizes that "these processes will vary from business to business." New York Empire State Development has posted an FAQ to assist businesses with their re-opening plans, and businesses in Central New York are also encouraged to email [email protected] with questions.

Regardless of which phase your business falls under, every business will need to draft a COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan. Several organizations have provided industry-specific recommendations to assist businesses with writing their re-opening plans, including:

CenterState CEO Re-opening Toolkit: https://www.centerstateceo.com/business-resources/back-business-re-opening-toolkit
Manufacturers' Association of Central New York (MACNY): https://www.macny.org/covid-19/
American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA): https://www.backtoworksafely.org/
Restaurant: Free on-demand training videos
Workplace: https://downtownsyracuse.com/covid-19-resources - scroll to Business Resources -- Industry Strategies for Re-opening
Personal Services: https://www.jamesstreetparlour.com/covid19

In addition, a free webinar this Friday, May 15 from 3pm - 4pm will provide insights from office, restaurant, and other companies' operations. Register for "Keeping Workers Safe as Businesses Re-open: Lessons from the Front Lines" by clicking here .