During a recent press conference, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) said construction and manufacturing will be the first industries to reopen in New York, according to therealdeal.com.
Although Cuomo said it is too soon to provide specific reopen dates for any industry, he said the metrics he is using to gauge the effects of COVID-19 are all trending in the right direction.
To reopen, manufacturers would have to show they can operate safely by spacing people out and providing them with protective gear. The same is true for construction, although the state already is permitting several types of construction to continue, such as schools, health care facilities and any residential projects where at least 20% of the units are affordable.
Discussions are ongoing between the construction industry and the Cuomo administration regarding protocols to allow more project types to resume.
In both ends of New York state, the COVID-19 transmission rate is under 1.0, meaning each COVID-19-positive person infects less than one other person. Cuomo said that rate would have to be maintained to allow reopening to proceed. After each phase of reopening in a region, the state would pause for two weeks to view the effects on hospitalization and infection rates. Each reopening would have to be preceded by a 14-day decline in hospitalizations.
Cuomo also has begun antibody testing to identify New Yorkers who have fought off the coronavirus and said that would be part of his strategy to restart the economy. However, a positive antibody test does not necessarily mean someone is immune, and experts have not settled on a test they consider to be the most effective and reliable.
