‘Phase One’ begins process of reopening the North Shore

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Governor Cuomo came to Jones Beach State Park on May 24 to offer a modicum of hope for a region battered by the coronavirus: Long Island, he said, was on track to begin Phase I reopening on May 27.

Steve Warshaw, president of the Gold Coast Business Association, said he is glad to see businesses begin to reopen in accordance which Cuomo’s guidelines.

“If the numbers say you can continue to open then you continue to open and you do it prudently,” he said. “I think our state has some of the best guidelines on the planet but everybody needs to follow those guidelines.”

When the New York stay-at-home order was extended earlier in the month until May 28, Peter Holden, the owner of God Loves You Religious Store in Glen Cove, called the PAUSE Act a very bad situation for mom and pop shops. 

“I have family members who are very supportive but I don’t know if any other business can sustain no revenue for two months when you are small retail,” Holden had said. 

Now he is applying to reopen. Retail stores that can reopen during Phase 1 have to meet certain requirements before reopening, such as ensuring social distance between personnel when appropriate, wearing masks when social distance can’t be maintained, posting social distance markers and designating areas for pick-ups and deliveries. 

Businesses must then send affirmations to New York state that they agree to operate in compliance with the established guidelines. Businesses must also prepare a written safety plan that includes wellness checks for employees and customers, disinfection and cleaning routines, social distancing and personal protective equipment availability for employees and customers. 

Holden said that he is looking forward to going back to work. “We want to clean the store a little bit and then we’re going to open up for curbside,” he said. “We’ll have people call us and then they can pick things up from us. So yeah, that’s a good thing.” 

Ryan Schlotter, the president of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Chamber of Commerce, said he does not see much changing in the hamlet with Phase 1. It is Phase 2 that his members are looking forward to.

“The boutique stores that sell clothing are upset,” he said, “because people can walk into Target and Walmart and buy clothing but can’t walk into a mom and pop shop to buy a shirt or dress.”

Schlotter said he is seeing moods change among the store owners. They want to open sensibly, he said. And they are concerned about the unknown. “You can plan as much as you want but we don’t know if we are going to operate with PPE, for example, or only outside,” Schlotter said. “Businesses that are operating are already doing so at a lower capacity.”

Matthew Meng, the president of the East Norwich Civic Association said every single business is struggling because of the unknowns of the economy. “JoVon Photography just did a major expansion,” Meng said. “Like any business, it is anxious to open. He does high end photography and weddings. You can just imagine how his business has plummeted.”    

Reopening the economy will play out by region in four phases:

Phase 1: Construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, select retail for curbside pickup only, and agriculture, forestry and fishing.

Phase 2: Professional services, finance and insurance, retail, administrative support, and real estate, rental and leasing. 

Phase 3: Restaurants and food services, beyond takeout and delivery.

Phase 4: Arts, entertainment and recreation, and education.

Warshaw said he is optimistic regarding the ability for the North Shore business community to rebound so long as people stay safe by taking things slow and relying on coronavirus data coming from the state.

“People will have an opportunity to get back to what they enjoy the most — running a business,” Warshaw said. “I think everybody is looking to get back but it’s going to take time. This is not instant gratification; you want it to be a slow and steady process.”

“You go one step at a time,” he added, “because if you jump steps, you’re going to fall down.”

A statement from the City of Glen Cove celebrated the Phase 1 reopening.

“Phase 1 of the statewide re-opening program began yesterday and we are happy to announce that construction projects in Glen Cove are underway again; the waterfront at Garvies Point, Village Square and others around the city,” it read. “In addition, some of our businesses in town are permitted to do curbside retail, which means that customers can order over the phone or online, and pick-up the items that they need. We are looking forward to Phase 2, and the subsequent phases that will occur after that.” 

Patricia Holman, the executive director of the Glen Cove Downtown Business Improvement District said that there was some confusion from local business owners over whether they could open during Phase 1 and how they would do so. 

“Everyone wants everybody to stay safe, obviously,” Holman said. “So, they are going through the affirmations and the directives that they have to do in preparing to open because we got the information on Phase 1 the day before I believe that Phase 1 could be opened. So [business owners] have to review it all and prepare.” 

The business owners are adapting well as they get back to business. “Each phase will be a little bit more trickier, I think,” Holman said.

The smaller stores need foot traffic, Schlotter said. “People need to be able to go into the stores. And as for ordering online and then having curbside pick-up, customers need to touch the item, feel it. It’s just not worth it for the smaller stores to open this way.”  

 

Mike Conn contributed to this story.