ALBANY, N.Y. — Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday the Western New York region officially started Phase 2 of reopening, which was expected, but never confirmed on Monday.
Last week, the state revealed guidelines for Phase 2 of its reopening plan and has laid out plans for how to get specific industries back to work.
The state's guidelines for the reopening of barbershops and hair salons says they will only be able to cut, style and color hair.
Items that are still prohibited during Phase 2 are nail services, make-up application, facials, threading/tweezing, waxing, beard trimming and nose hair trimming.
In addition to barbershops and salons, the state posted reopening guidelines for the following industries.
- Offices
- Real estate
- In-store retail
- Car sales, leases and rentals
- Retail rentals, repair and cleaning
- Commercial building management
The entire list of industry-specific guidelines can be found here.
Coronavirus deaths remained low, at 58, and new hospitalizations are at the lowest point since the pandemic began. The governor also announced that summer day-camps are allowed to start on June 29, though no determination has been made yet about sleep away camps.
The governor also reminded people who are taking to the streets to protest to be smart because the coronavirus pandemic is still a real threat. Cuomo said that the people protesting are rightfully angry, and he stands with them. However, he said looting and other criminal activity must be stopped. He also called on the federal government to pass criminal justice reform legislation.
The State has offered a heightened State Police presence as well as the help of the National Guard to cities experiencing a high volume of criminal activity in recent days. Cuomo said he has no plans to call in the National Guard anywhere in the state unless a city specifically asks for it.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced his that he has accepted additional troopers from the State Police, but has not sought help from the National Guard right now.
Cuomo said that extremist groups have attached themselves to protesters to exploit the situation. He called these people opportunists who have created a blurred line between protesters and the looters. To help with that, many major cities throughout the state, including Buffalo and Rochester, have issued curfews since most of the criminal activity takes place at night.
