Governor Cuomo Embraces Regional Concept of ‘Restarting New York’ Plan

“In today’s daily briefing, I was glad to hear Governor Cuomo embrace the regionally-based reopening strategy for New York’s economy that was outlined in the ‘Restarting New York’ plan that I unveiled last week with my Assembly colleague Andy Goodell.

“The response to our plan has been overwhelmingly supportive. State and local officials, business owners and everyday New Yorkers have reached out to urge us to continue our advocacy, citing the huge disparities in infection rates and risk between upstate and downstate and the urgent need to restart our economy wherever we can. While no one expects to go back to the same practices that existed prior to this pandemic, we can carefully and safely begin to restart our economy upstate, which benefits all New Yorkers.

“Every day that passes with near-total closure of our economy is another day where thousands of New Yorkers lose their jobs, small businesses move closer to bankruptcy and the budgets of our state and local governments move deeper into the red. Now is the time to set the wheels in motion, so that we can smartly and safely reopen New York for business.

“We look forward to sharing our ideas with Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul and former Lt. Governor Robert Duffy as they assume coordination of reopening strategies for Western New York and the Finger Lakes regions. With so much at stake, input from a range of stakeholders will be critical in determining the best path forward for our economy and our residents.”