Phase 3 On Long Island: What Reopens And When It's Happening

LONG ISLAND, NY — Indoor restaurant service, nail salons and massage therapists will resume operations Wednesday on Long Island with some coronavirus restrictions, Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed. The news comes as the region saw just 1.1 percent of people tested positive Monday for the COVID-19 disease, which is caused by the virus. The seven-day rolling average also remained steady at 1 percent.

The state Health Department's early-warning monitoring dashboard also showed Long Island has avoided many of the pitfalls seen around the country.

Testing/Tracing

• Maintain 30 per 1,000 diagnostic tests:9,199/2,839
• Maintain required case and contact tracing capacity: 1,308

New Infections

• Share of positive tests per day (seven-day rolling average): 0.9 percent
• New Cases per 100,000 (seven day rolling average): 2.88

Severity of Infection

• Gross new hospitalizations per 100,000 (seven-day rolling average): 0.58

Hospital Capacity

• Share of total hospital beds available (seven-day rolling average): 30 percent
• Share of intensive care unit beds available (seven-day rolling average): 38 percent

Because Long Island continued to show it curbed the spread of the virus, Cuomo said the region will join the Mid-Hudson Valley in stepping up to phase 3 of reopening businesses this week. Other regions that have reached the third phase: Capital, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Southern Tier and Western New York.

Under state regulations, all Long Island restaurants, bars, food trucks and concession stands can resume indoor service and dining, but with severe public health restrictions, including social distancing and requiring people to wear personal protective equipment.

As with other industries that were allowed to reopen, restaurants will have to limit capacity to 50 percent and customer tables must be at least 6 feet apart. In establishments where physical distancing is impossible, the business must install physical barriers between tables that are at least 5 feet tall. Employees must cover their faces at all times and customers must do so when not seated. While employees won't have to be screened, workers will be screened daily with questionnaires and temperature checks.

Similar restrictions are in place for non hair-related personal care businesses and services, such as tattoo and piercing facilities, appearance-enhancement practitioners, massage therapists, spas, cosmetologists, nail specialists, tanning salons and waxing centers.

All must also remain at no more than half capacity, including customers, and all must remain at least 6 feet apart except when a service is being performed. Customers must only be allowed entry if they're covering their face. Waiting rooms must be closed.

Each industry also must disinfect certain service-related items between uses, including manicure and pedicure baths and bowls, hand/foot drying tables, wax containers, towels, finger bowls, spatulas, face coverings, linens, tanning beds and booths.

Employees must receive a diagnostic test for COVID-19 every two weeks and be screened daily with a questionnaire and temperature check.

Those hoping for a return to malls, movie theaters and gyms in the fourth phase got some disappointing news — The Times Union reported that Robert Mujica Jr., the state budget director, told local leaders Tuesday that Cuomo decided against including them in the final phase of the state's NY Forward reopening plan. The state plans to make industry-specific decisions in the weeks and months ahead, the newspaper reported, citing a person briefed on the call.