LOCKPORT, N.Y. — Dining in restaurants, going to a hair salon or barber, and of course a workout at the gym are all still things you can do in Niagara County.
So are some folks in mostly-Orange Erie County looking to Lockport or Lewiston, or focusing on the Falls, or just ready to head elsewhere outside the Orange Zone?
Well, it's kind of expected by Niagara County officials. But it's also kind of expected that visitors will strictly follow the COVID rules for masking and other safety precautions.
Niagara County has its own worrisome COVID caseload with 94 new positive cases overall. That's mainly in the larger communities such as North Tonawanda that, again, is now in a Yellow Zone. But those cases are also found in Lockport, Lewiston, Wheatfield, and of course Niagara Falls.
Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino says, "If in fact folks have the desire to come to Niagara Falls for whatever particular reason it might be, we just know that we're going to be anticipating that they're gonna comply with the public health requirements."
Niagara County Legislature Chairman Rebecca Wydysh is just about to come out out of quarantine after being exposed to someone who tested positive, so she is quick to make these points.
"We might see bigger crowds in our restaurants and those other areas this weekend," Wydysh said. "We also know that our businesses here in Niagara County have been working very hard to follow the capacity guidelines and all of the safety protocols.
"So even though we might see bigger crowds, what that could mean is longer waiting times to get a table. And we're asking, of course, those businesses to keep following those capacity guidelines that are in place for everyone's safety."
Niagara County Health Director Daniel Stapleton added: "We have fined a number of restaurants for not following the rules about masks. And of course we work hand in hand with our law enforcement, our sheriff's office. We work with code enforcement officers for people exceeding the capacity limits allowed."
On another Niagara County note, again with North Tonawanda being in a Yellow designation, there is some help for the schools with a difficult duty.
Stapleton said, "We are not doing the testing for schools. we don't have the capacity to do that. But we are helping them with testing kits that they need in order to be able to follow 20 percent testing guidelines, so we're working with the North Tonawanda superintendent, and we're working with all our schools throughout Niagara County."
