Senator Seward Calls for NYS Regional Re-Opening

In a press release from his office, State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I – Oneonta) announced that he has joined with members of the Senate Republican Conference in calling on Governor Cuomo to begin a responsible, regional re-opening of New York and to provide data within a week on which of the state’s economic regions meet the CDC’s Phase 1 standards to restart business.

Seward wants these assessments to be released to the public so that parts of the state can begin to recover from the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic in a safe way. Governor Cuomo must include the state Department of Health, local departments of health, local officials, local businesses, and industry leaders in this process.

“I know full well the seriousness of the Coronavirus and respect and appreciate the essential workers who continue to give of themselves every day,” said Senator Seward. “As New York State prepares to come back from this pandemic, we need to balance smart health policies that adhere to CDC guidelines with help for our small businesses and so many individuals that have been sacrificing for the good of all.

Seward also calls on Governor Cuomo to fix the state’s broken unemployment system. Over 1.2 million New Yorkers filed for unemployment as of April 16 and despite the voluntary efforts of state workers to handle the unprecedented volume of calls, unemployed New Yorkers cannot get through to the agency, have not received call-backs, and have not received needed checks.

On Tuesday Governor Cuomo embraced Senate Republicans’ calls and President Trump’s Opening Up America Again Guidelines, endorsed by Doctors Fauci, Birx and Redfield, which creates three phases for safely opening the economy. Each phase contains gating criteria and instructions for individuals and employers to maintain safety both in and out of the workplace.