Skip to main content

Nixon Peabody LLP

  • People
  • Capabilities
  • Insights
  • About
Trending Topics
    • People
    • Capabilities
    • Insights
    • About
    • Locations
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Alumni
    Practices

    View All

    • Affordable Housing
    • Community Development Finance
    • Corporate & Finance
    • Cybersecurity & Privacy
    • Entertainment & Media
    • Environmental
    • Franchising & Distribution
    • Government Investigations & White Collar Defense
    • Healthcare
    • Intellectual Property
    • International Services
    • Labor, Employment, and Benefits
    • Litigation
    • Private Wealth & Advisory
    • Project Finance
    • Public Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Regulatory & Government Relations
    Industries

    View All

    • Aviation
    • Cannabis
    • Consumer
    • Energy
    • Financial Services
    • Healthcare
    • Higher Education
    • Infrastructure
    • Manufacturing
    • Nonprofit Organizations
    • Real Estate
    • Sports & Stadiums
    • Technology
    Value-Added Services

    View All

    • Alternative Fee Arrangements

      Developing innovative pricing structures and alternative fee agreement models that deliver additional value for our clients.

    • Continuing Education

      Advancing professional knowledge and offering credits for attorneys, staff and other professionals.

    • Crisis Advisory

      Helping clients respond correctly when a crisis occurs.

    • DEI Strategic Services

      Providing our clients with legal, strategic, and practical advice to make transformational changes in their organizations.

    • eDiscovery

      Leveraging law and technology to deliver sound solutions.

    • Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)

      We help clients create positive return on investments in people, products, and the planet.

    • Global Services

      Delivering seamless service through partnerships across the globe.

    • Innovation

      Leveraging leading-edge technology to guide change and create seamless, collaborative experiences for clients and attorneys.

    • IPED

      Industry-leading conferences focused on affordable housing, tax credits, and more.

    • Legal Project Management

      Providing actionable information to support strategic decision-making.

    • Legally Green

      Teaming with clients to advance sustainable projects, mitigate the effects of climate change, and protect our planet.

    • Nixon Peabody Trust Company

      Offering a range of investment management and fiduciary services.

    • NP Capital Connector

      Bringing together companies and investors for tomorrow’s new deals.

    • NP Second Opinion

      Offering fresh insights on cases that are delayed, over budget, or off-target from the desired resolution.

    • NP Trial

      Courtroom-ready lawyers who can resolve disputes early on clients’ terms or prevail at trial before a judge or jury.

    • Social Impact

      Creating positive impact in our communities through increasing equity, access, and opportunity.

    • Women in Dealmaking

      We provide strategic counsel on complex corporate transactions and unite dynamic women in the dealmaking arena.

    1. Home
    2. Insights
    3. Alerts
    4. New York announces additional re-opening guidelines for regions and businesses

      Alerts

    Alert / Coronavirus Response

    New York announces additional re-opening guidelines for regions and businesses

    May 5, 2020

    LinkedInX (Twitter)EmailCopy URL

    By Eric Ferrante, Kimberly Harding and Richard McGuirk

    Amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has officially announced guidelines for reopening regions and businesses across the state as we anticipate the May 15 expiration of the New York State “PAUSE” Order.

    The governor announced four core factors that the state will assess prior to determining whether a region may begin to re-open:

    • Regions must have at least 14 days of decline in total net hospitalizations and deaths on a three-day rolling average;
    • Regions must have at least 30 percent total hospital and ICU beds available;
    • Regions must have the capacity to conduct 30 diagnostic tests for every 100,000 residents per month; and
    • Regions must have a baseline of 30 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents.

    From there, businesses and industries in the respective regions will be permitted to re-open in a phased approach, based on how “essential” the particular business is considered to the public, and the risks of infection to employees and customers that are inherent in its operations. Precise details remain unknown; for now, however, the following schedule has been released:

    • Phase 1: Construction, manufacturing, and select retail (with curbside pickup);
    • Phase 2: Professional services, finance and insurance, retail, administrative support, and real estate/rental leasing;
    • Phase 3: Restaurants, food services, and hotels; and
    • Phase 4: Arts, entertainment, recreation, and education.

    It appears no region of the state currently will be permitted to open attractions or businesses that would draw a large number of visitors from outside the local area.

    In addition, the governor also announced new safety precautions businesses in New York will be required to put in place upon re-opening, including:

    • Adjusting work hours and shift design as necessary to reduce density in the workplace;
    • Enacting social distancing protocols;
    • Restricting non-essential business travel for employees;
    • Requiring all employees and customers to wear face masks if in frequent contact with others;
    • Implementing strict cleaning and sanitation standards;
    • Enacting a continuous health screening process for individuals to enter the workplace;
    • Tracing, tracking, and reporting of cases; and
    • Developing liability processes.

    Although the governor did not expand on what, exactly, will be required of businesses or how such requirements will be enforced, Nixon Peabody attorneys are monitoring these and other return-to-work issues closely. Additional guidance can also be found in our prior alerts for employers generally and retailers specifically.

    Locations

    AlbanyLong IslandNew York CityRochester

    Practices

    Franchising & DistributionLabor, Employment & BenefitsOccupational Safety & Health (OSHA)Construction & Real Estate Litigation

    Industries

    Food, Beverage & Agribusiness

    Insights And Happenings

    • Alert

      The reopening of New York courts

      May 20, 2020
    • Alert

      Ready to reopen your business in NY? Here’s what your business must do first

      May 15, 2020
    • Alert

      Will your building’s water system be ready to return to work when your employees are?

      May 4, 2020
    The foregoing has been prepared for the general information of clients and friends of the firm. It is not meant to provide legal advice with respect to any specific matter and should not be acted upon without professional counsel. If you have any questions or require any further information regarding these or other related matters, please contact your regular Nixon Peabody LLP representative. This material may be considered advertising under certain rules of professional conduct.

    Subscribe to stay informed of the latest legal news, alerts, and business trends.Subscribe

    • People
    • Capabilities
    • Insights
    • About
    • Locations
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Alumni
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Statement of Client Rights
    • Purchase Order Terms & Conditions
    • Nixon Peabody International LLC
    • PAL
    © 2025 Nixon Peabody. All rights reserved