Franklin Square, Elmont business owners prepare for Phase 2

Business owners throughout Franklin Square and Elmont were deep-cleaning everything at their stores and offices as they prepared to reopen on Wednesday for the first time since March.

Shaheen Shah, owner of Fancy Cuts, in Franklin Square, said she had hired a company to sanitize everything at the hair salon, and Lisa DelliPizzi, who owns a real estate business in Franklin Square, said she was in the process of organizing documents, and would be able to resume operations immediately.

Lorraine Quagliozzi, the office manager of the Century 21 real estate agency in Franklin Square, said she also had the office deep-cleaned, and noted that only half of the firm’s agents would be allowed in the office at a time.

Still, Quagliozzi said, “We’re just excited to get back to a little more normalcy.”

The Century 21 office has been shut since Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all “non-essential” businesses to close in March, and its agents have since been showing homes virtually. But now that real estate offices will be able to resume operations under the second phase of New York’s reopening plan, they will once again be able to show prospective homebuyers houses in-person and return to their offices, which, Quagliozzi said, would provide more structure and allow for more human contact.

Phase Two of the reopening also allows many other businesses to resume operations, including offices; in-store retail; vehicle sales, leases and rentals; retail rental, repair and cleaning; and commercial building management.

Additionally, Cuomo announced on Saturday that places of worship could reopen on June 10 with 25 percent occupancy and social-distancing measures in place, after saying on June 3 that restaurants would be able to offer outdoor dining in Phase Two.

To prepare for that, Vito Cortesiano has remodeled Salvatore’s of Elmont’s courtyard area with a garden and a “calming water feature” that will allow him to set up outdoor tables that are six feet apart. “We have been very lucky to maintain our customers during the Covid-19 crisis,” said Cortesiano, who owns the restaurant, “and being able to now offer this outdoor space will be like inviting our family back into our home.”

The updated reopening schedule is the result of a continued drop in new Covid-19 hospitalizations, intubations and deaths, according to Cuomo. There were only 35 deaths statewide on Friday, the fewest since late March.

And in Nassau County, there were no deaths on Friday, County Executive Laura Curran announced on Saturday. “Always remember that the actions we took together saved countless (likely thousands) of lives,” she tweeted.

Curran has been in favor of reopening certain industries ahead of schedule. She called Cuomo’s decision to allow hair salons and barbershops to resume operations “great news,” and proposed a plan in May to allow villages, towns and cities to shut down certain streets for outdoor dining, thus reducing the need for table capacity within eateries and enabling them to maintain social distancing. She is calling it “Open Streets.”

“Continuing the county’s efforts to support the revival of our downtowns and business districts,” the Nassau County website reads, “the county will be fast-tracking permitting approvals for temporary road closures, with a decision within a week of receiving an application.

Additionally, Curran praised the state government for giving “our business owners the certainty they need to reopen safely.”

The state is requiring business owners to prepare reopening plans, detailing how they intend to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and ensure the safety of workers and customers. The plans must include wellness checks for employees and customers; disinfection and cleaning routines; social distancing protocols’ and protective personal equipment for employees and customers.

Business owners must also affirm that they agree to operate according to state safety mandates.

To help with that, the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency is spending roughly $500,000 to provide 1,000 small businesses and nonprofits with PPE. Businesses with fewer than 20 employees, minority- and women-owned businesses, and businesses in economically distressed communities are eligible for the program. Business owners can apply at www.nassauboost.net.