| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Van Cortlandt Park Alliance - Join Us at the Bronx Parks Speak Up and More
Attorney General James Files Lawsuit Against Amazon for Failing to Protect Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic
Amazon Refused to Put Adequate Safety Measures in Place, Retaliated Against Workers Who Reported Safety Concerns
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Amazon over its failures to provide adequate health and safety measures for employees at the company’s New York facilities and Amazon’s retaliatory actions against multiple employees amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In failing to maintain a safe work environment by reasonably protecting workers from the spread of COVID-19, Amazon violated New York State Labor Law. In addition, Amazon unlawfully fired and disciplined employees that objected to Amazon’s unsafe work conditions.
“While Amazon and its CEO made billions during this crisis, hardworking employees were forced to endure unsafe conditions and were retaliated against for rightfully voicing these concerns,” said Attorney General James. “Since the pandemic began, it is clear that Amazon has valued profit over people and has failed to ensure the health and safety of its workers. The workers who have powered this country and kept it going during the pandemic are the very workers who continue to be treated the worst. As we seek to hold Amazon accountable for its actions, my office remains dedicated to protecting New York workers from exploitation and unfair treatment in all forms.”
Attorney General James opened an investigation into Amazon in March 2020 following numerous complaints about the lack of precautions taken to protect employees in Amazon facilities as New York was ravaged by COVID-19. The investigation was later broadened to examine whether Amazon unlawfully fired or disciplined employees who reported these safety concerns. In particular, the investigation focused on two facilities with a combined workforce of more than 5,000 individuals –– JFK8, a fulfillment center on Staten Island, and DBK1, a distribution center in Queens. At the time of these complaints, New York City was the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, and Staten Island had the highest per capita rate of COVID-19 diagnoses in New York City.
The Attorney General’s investigation uncovered evidence showing that Amazon’s health and safety response violated state law with respect to cleaning and disinfection protocols, contact tracing, and generally permitting employees to take necessary precautions to protect themselves from the risk of COVID-19 infection, among other things. For example, Amazon was notified of at least 250 employees at the Staten Island facility who had positive COVID-19 tests or diagnoses, with more than 90 of those individuals present in the facility within seven days of notification to Amazon. However, in all but seven of these instances, Amazon failed to close any portion of the facility after learning of the positive cases. Additionally, Amazon implemented an inadequate COVID-19 tracing program that failed to consistently identify workers who came into close contact with employees who tested positive for COVID-19. On occasions when a worker reported having close contact with a coworker with a positive COVID-19 test, Amazon dismissed the worker’s concerns and did not investigate or follow up on the reports.
The evidence gathered through the Attorney General’s investigation also demonstrates that Amazon unlawfully fired and disciplined workers who reported their concerns about Amazon’s compliance with these health and safety mandates, including Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer. Smalls and Palmer both raised concerns about Amazon’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic to Amazon managers, made public complaints about Amazon’s practices through the media, and submitted complaints to at least one government agency. Amazon fired Smalls and issued Palmer a final written warning after they made these valid and reasonable complaints.
The lawsuit, filed in the Supreme Court of New York County, argues that Amazon’s actions are in violation of New York labor, whistleblower protection, and anti-retaliation laws. The suit seeks broad injunctive relief and damages, including:
- Requiring Amazon to take all affirmative steps, including changing policies, conducting training, and undergoing monitoring, among others, to ensure that Amazon reasonably and adequately protects the lives, health, and safety of its employees.
- Awarding backpay, liquidated damages, emotional distress damages, and reinstatement for former employee Christian Smalls.
- Awarding liquidated damages and emotional distress damages for employee Derrick Palmer.
- Requiring Amazon to give up the profits it made as a result of its illegal acts.
Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everyone. Well, we're going to talk today about the most important way that we bring this city back, the most important part of a recovery for all of us, and that is vaccinations. And here's the bottom line, every single time we're running into the same challenge – we need supply, we need more vaccine so we can make a difference for the people of this city. Everything comes down to one simple issue – supply, supply, supply. Remember, in the beginning, for months and months, it was testing, testing, testing? Now, it is supply, supply, supply. We need more vaccine. And it's been really frustrating, because we are not getting the amount of vaccine we need and it would make all the difference in the world.
So, let's at least acknowledge happily that a number of people have gotten vaccinated. Here's the latest for New York City – as of today, 1,365,956 doses of vaccine have been given. That is, for comparison, more than the total population of Dallas, Texas, the ninth largest – ninth largest city in the United States of America, and a place that's got a lot more snow than we do right now. So, the fact is that the vaccine effort keeps growing all the time, but the supply is not growing the way we need it to. Now, right now, we have a particular challenge, we've got fewer than 30,000 first doses on hand right now. That means we're going to run out today, tomorrow. We're going to run out of what we have now. Once again, we're in this ridiculous situation where we have massive ability to give people vaccination, we could be doing hundreds of thousands of more each week, and we're running out of vaccine because we're not getting what we need. We need the federal government, we need the State government, we need the manufacturers to step up, produce more, make it easier for us to get it, give us our fair share, make the rules simpler. But, right now, we're running out again. And, on top of that, we've got the weather problem. All over the nation, there's huge storms that are now causing delays in shipments. So, I've been updated this morning on the fact that we unfortunately do expect vaccine to be delayed – shipments of vaccine that we were expecting by yesterday, today, to be delayed. That means we're going to have to hold back appointments that New Yorkers need, because the vaccine isn't arriving. Based on the information I've gotten now, as many as 30-35,000 appointments or more might not be scheduled, because we don't have vaccine. So, appointments we would have been putting up available to people right now, we have to hold them back because the vaccine hasn't arrived.
Now, I'm glad that at the new administration in Washington is aiming high. From the very beginning, Joe Biden said, they're going to increase production, put strong goals out there, that's exactly the right thing to do. But we need to get half-a-million doses delivered to New York City every week so we can reach our goals. And we have a specific plan to fully vaccinate 5 million New Yorkers by June, that's what will really give us a recovery, but we're going to need a hell of a lot more support to make that happen. When you get 5 million people vaccinated, you can imagine what it means – this city will fully come to life. 5 million people vaccinated means we are really turning the corner on this disease and we can bring back our economy and our life strong. Can't do it without supply. And, once again, let me go over the things that would help us. First of all, we need our fair share of the vaccine. The federal allocation to New York City is indirect, because it still has to require approvals from the State of New York. That's slowing things down in many ways. We need direct allocation in New York City, meaning direct supply and no strings attached. Let New York City, let our Health Department, let Health + Hospitals do what they need to do, and know how to do, and vaccinate people much more quickly without the red tape, without the confusion. And there needs to be a recognition by both the federal government and the State government that we are typically vaccinating about – 20 percent of the people who we vaccinated are from the suburbs and surrounding states. And we don't begrudge them that, a lot of them are people who serve us here in New York City, but our allocation should be bigger to account for that. And I talked about it yesterday, the State sends us 45 percent of the vaccine they get when we're actually vaccinating more like 53 percent of the folks getting vaccinated in the state. We've got to get our fair share. That could mean tens of thousands of more doses each week. And we need it direct and without so many strings attached.
Second, the freedom to vaccinate. We've talked about this so many times. We need to be able to vaccinate wherever will work, much more of a grassroots focus. We've had these disagreements with the State where they say this center should be only for one type of worker, and another center for another – no, we need lots of grassroots locations where we can reach every-day people, particularly in the communities hardest hit. Maximum number of smaller locations, not just big mega sites, they play a role, but we need the freedom to have the smaller locations and a reliable supply of vaccine and not have the constant changing of rules that has held us back. Give us the local control that we can use to speed the vaccination effort.
Number three, once again, the pharmaceutical companies, where are they? I've been talking about this for weeks and weeks, I still haven't heard a great answer. The pharmaceutical company in America, except for the three that are now involved in vaccines, where are the rest of them? Why are they not stepping forward, offering their assembly lines? We need to see the full use of the Defense Production Act and all the other tools that allow the federal government to dictate the terms in wartime conditions, compulsory licensing laws, all of the tools that allow the federal government to say we're in an emergency here, we're not doing business as usual, every company needs to be a part of it. And the federal government has the ability to direct what is in the public interest. We need more of that. We do not need business as usual in the pharmaceutical sector, which we all know has made it share mistakes in the past. How about they actually step forward and do what's in the common good, put people over profits, volunteer to help in this war time effort. We need more pressure to make that happen. And if we do that, this is the way we get to that half-million vaccinations a week that would transform this city in a matter of a few months.
Okay. That's the overview on the number-one issue – supply, supply, supply. Now, let's talk about how we continue to try and make better the effort to allow people to get vaccinated, get those appointments. We want to constantly improve that effort. And, obviously, the online tools that we have, something we've been working on from the beginning. What's important is to constantly listen to the feedback we're getting from those we serve and improve our services. In the beginning, for example, we realized that just having appointments online was not going to be enough. That's why we had a phone option, especially for seniors as well. But we've constantly improved, and now the latest update today, if you go to nyc.gov/four – excuse me, I said that wrong – nyc.gov/vax4nyc – vax4nyc – what you'll find is a simpler approach to scheduling, now available in 10 languages. This was an important point raised by our colleagues in the media, that folks needed to have the whole application process in their language and the most prominent languages in the city. So, the whole application is in 10 languages.
Okay. As we talk about recovery, talk about bringing back all the pieces that make New York City so great – obviously, our restaurant industry. We love our restaurants. We care about them. They're part of our identity, and our culture, and hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers depend on them for employment as well. We've been doing a lot of things this last year to help the restaurant industry. We also want to make sure we are keeping everyone safe – the customers, the folks who work in restaurants. Number-one job as we find our way out of this pandemic, keep everyone safe. So, with indoor dining back at 25 percent capacity, we want to focus on the right way to go about indoor dining, the right way as someone who's going to enjoy indoor dining with your family, with your friends, how to do it safely, but also the right way to protect the people who work there, protect the folks who have kept fighting through, kept those restaurants going. We owe it to them to make sure we watch out for their health and safety too. Here to talk more about the rules for the road, if you will, for indoor dining, my senior advisor, Dr. Jay Varma.
Senior Advisor Dr. Jay Varma: Great. Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. We know that the best defense against COVID is a vaccine in your arm. But while our supplies remain limited, we know that the next best defense is to be armed with information, information you can use to reduce your risk getting COVID. And so, that's why we talk every day about the importance of masks, about maintaining physical distance, hand hygiene, and getting tested frequently. As public health officials, we know how important restaurants are to New York City. There are stories of joy, of culture, of income for so many of us. They're one of the features that make this city really so special. Now that the State has opened up indoor dining, we want to make sure New Yorkers are armed with information. If you choose to eat at a restaurant indoors, we encourage you to follow the tips that you see here are tips for safe indoor dining. And, as the Mayor has said, this is important not just for your own health and safety, but for the health and safety of all of the New Yorkers who work at our restaurants.
So, let's go through some of those tips. Before you go out, keep the size of your group small, consider limiting it to only people in your family or in a pod or a bubble, if you have one. Confirm that everyone in your group has no COVID-like symptoms and no one's been exposed, no one's a close contact of somebody with COVID. Encourage everyone in your group to get tested. You can go to our City website and find sites all over the city that are free, accessible, and fast to get tested, including rapid point of care tests you can get for that same day. When you're at the restaurant, make sure it's observing city and State rules for how to make sure dining is safe. Those include making sure it's not too crowded indoors. Remember, capacity is restricted to 25 percent. Make sure you see employees wearing their face mask consistently and correctly. Make sure the tables are spaced apart, they need to be at least six feet apart from each other. And make sure there are no self-serve buffets being used. Wear your face cover, except when you're actively eating or drinking. And you make sure to put it on when your server comes to your table. Wash your hands before you eat and after you use the bathroom – those are good rules not just for COVID, but for all times. And maintain distance as much as you can from other patrons, stay at your table as much as you can. And after you dine, keep it a record of where you went, when you went – where you went, who you went with. If you end up getting COVID, you want to have that information ready to give to your contact tracer. And then, make sure you're getting tested frequently. We recommend people get tested as often as once a month. And, as we mentioned, there are plenty of sites around the city where you can make that happen. Thanks.
Mayor: Thank you very much, Jay – appreciate all that clarity, and it's really important. Look, our health team, I want to thank them. They've really helped the people in New York City to know the best way to handle all the challenges of this crisis. Our health leadership, and I talk to them every single day, they've guided us well with the, kind of, news you can use, real guidance for your lives. And here are really great tips that Jay has provided on how to go about indoor dining the right way. So, thank you very, very much.
Now another challenge and an immediate challenge, and we've seen what's happening all over the country with the winter storms. It's been unbelievable, how hard hit many parts of the country have been. We're going to get our effect from these winter storms too, although it looks like we're going to do a lot better than many other places, thank God. But here's the latest, starting tomorrow morning – and the latest we have from National Weather Service is between 5:00 AM and 8:00 AM tomorrow morning, we'll see some snow beginning. Looks like it'll go through the day Thursday, into Friday, ending somewhere between 10:00 AM and noon on Friday. Sow right now, over that pretty long period of time the total accumulation is not too bad. It's between six and seven inches. But I'm going to say what I've said many times and I've learned from painful experience, these things change. So, we're going to constantly update New Yorkers, six to seven inches over 24 hours or more. That's not so bad. However, that can change. It can become a lot more. It can become a lot quicker. The timing can change. So, we're going to constantly update you. What I can say is expect tomorrow to be difficult. So, I'm going to say what I always say when we're expecting snow, stay off the roads if you can, it's not going to be so easy driving out there tomorrow. It's going to hit potentially ahead of the morning rush hour. So, the ideal is if you don't need to drive tomorrow, don't drive. Good for you, take mass transit. It's better for you. Stay home if you can, but also better for clearing the roadway so Sanitation Department can do the job that they are so good at, and they have been outstanding in these last few storms we've had. I always say thank you to the men and women in the Sanitation Department. I'm asking you to say thank you to them as well. They got a big job to do tomorrow and Friday. Let's help them by staying off the roads.
Okay, let's go to our daily indicators now. Number one, daily number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for suspected COVID-19. Today's report, 255 patients, confirmed positivity, 66.42 percent. And hospitalization rate 4.62 per 100,000. Number two, new reported cases on a seven-day average, today's report, 3,321 cases. Number three, percentage of people testing positive citywide for COVID-19, today's report on a seven-day rolling average 7.04 percent
Governor Cuomo Announces COVID-19 7-Day Average Positivity Rate Declines for 40th Straight Day - FEBRUARY 17, 2021
7-Day Average Positivity Rate Was 3.66% Yesterday
6,574 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide
1,273 Patients in the ICU; 854 Intubated
Statewide Positivity Rate is 3.58%
109 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday
12 New UK Strain Cases In New York State
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State's COVID-19 7-day average positivity rate has declined for the 40th straight day. The 7-day average positivity rate was 3.66 percent yesterday. Twelve additional cases of the UK variant were identified in New York State. Eleven were in New York City and one is in Broome County. To date, there are 82 known cases of the UK variant in New York State.
"New Yorkers have continued to do a tremendous job driving down hospitalization and infection rates and because of their dedication, we have been able to safely and responsibly re-open different facets of our economy," Governor Cuomo said. "Even though we have been able to move forward with beginning our post-COVID recovery, all this progress could be cancelled out if we don't stay vigilant. While the state continues to get shots in the arms of as many New Yorkers as possible, everyone else should continue to keep their guard up and practice the safe behaviors we all know are critical in ultimately winning this war."
Today's data is summarized briefly below:
- Test Results Reported - 169,963
- Total Positive - 6,092
- Percent Positive - 3.58%
- 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 3.66%
- Patient Hospitalization - 6,574 (-46)
- Net Change Patient Hospitalization Past Week - -1,019
- Patients Newly Admitted - 664
- Hospital Counties - 55
- Number ICU - 1,273 (+2)
- Number ICU with Intubation - 854 (-24)
- Total Discharges - 139,544 (+569)
- Deaths - 109
- Total Deaths - 37,440
STATEMENT FROM MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO ON THE DELAYED OPENING OF VACCINATION SITES
“Due to the outrageous vaccine supply shortage and shipments delayed by storms, New York City is forced to delay the opening of our vaccination sites at Empire Outlets on Staten Island and Martin Van Buren High School in Queens originally planned for Thursday.
I cannot be clearer: we have the infrastructure in place to deliver half a million doses per week. All that’s missing is the supply to get it done. We need our the pharmaceutical companies to step-up and give us the doses we need to vaccinate the people of our city. There is not a moment to waste.”
Governor Cuomo Announces 23 Additional Bar and Restaurants' Liquor Licenses Suspended in February for Egregious Violations of Coronavirus-Related Regulations
393 Businesses' Liquor Licenses Have Been Suspended During Public Health Emergency
449 Charges Issued in 2021; Updated List of Suspensions and Charges Available Here
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the state has suspended liquor licenses for 23 additional bars and restaurants in New York State after finding egregious violations of pandemic-related Executive Orders bringing the total number of liquor licenses suspended during the coronavirus pandemic to 393. In 2021, 449 charges have been filed against bars and restaurants for violating rules meant to stop the spread. Businesses found in violation of COVID-19 regulations face fines up to $10,000 per violation, while egregious violations can result in the immediate suspension of a bar or restaurant's liquor license.
"Thanks to New Yorkers' hard work, we bent the curve last spring and fought off the holiday surge this winter and if we want the numbers to continue moving in the right direction, we have to keep our guard up and enforce rules that we know keep people safe," Governor Cuomo said. "The vast majority of bar and restaurants are following the rules, but we have zero tolerance for those who openly ignore public health measures, putting New Yorkers' lives at risk — and we will continue to hold them accountable."
State Liquor Authority Chair Vincent Bradley said, "We continue to see increased compliance across the state as a direct result of the hard work of conscientious business owners that are putting public health and safety first. But we're still in the middle of a global pandemic, and the task force will continue taking action as New Yorker's have sacrificed too much and come too far to allow a handful of bad actors to derail our progress."
A county-by-county breakdown of the 23 establishments issued emergency orders of summary suspension from the State Liquor Authority Board is below.
In New York City:
- Bronx - 2
- Brooklyn - 6
- Manhattan - 3
- Queens - 7
Outside of New York City:
- Nassau - 1
- Suffolk - 4
The emergency suspensions were ordered by Chairman Bradley, Commissioner Lily Fan and Commissioner Greeley Ford at special meetings of the Full Board between February 1st, 2021, and February 14th, 2021, conducted by a digitally recorded video under social distancing guidelines. Emergency Summary Suspensions are imposed when the SLA finds the continued operation of a licensed business threatens public health and safety. Suspension orders are served immediately and remain in effect indefinitely, with the maximum penalty including the permanent revocation of the license and fines of up to $10,000 per violation. Licensees subject to an emergency suspension are entitled to a prompt hearing before an SLA Administrative Law Judge.
The 23 bars and restaurants suspended are listed below, along with information on their violations and the date of their suspensions.
"Vilari Deli" at 125 Marcy Place in the Bronx, on February 14, 2021
On February 12th, investigators with the state's multi-agency task force and officers with the NYPD conducted an inspection finding six patrons and six employees without facemasks inside the grocery store - which is not permitted to serve alcohol for on-premises consumption or to sell hard liquor at all - drinking and ignoring social distancing. Investigators also found untaxed cigarettes and prescription drugs for sale behind the counter.
"Javier Caraballo" at 214 Willis Avenue in the Bronx, on February 1, 2021
On January 30th, investigators with the state's multi-agency task force and officers with the NYPD heard loud music emanating from the premises at approximately 1 AM, despite the roll down gate down closed and curtains and cardboard obstructing visibility inside in an apparent attempt to conceal operations. Investigators gained entry when a manager without a facemask opened the door, where investigators documented six patrons drinking at the bar, in violation of the suspension of indoor dining in New York City on December 14th in order to protect public health and safety.
Attorney General James Sues to Shut Down Illegal Cryptocurrency Trading Platform and Virtual Currency, Seeks to Recoup Defrauded Funds for Thousands of Investors
Coinseed Willfully Ignored Numerous Securities and Commodities Registration Laws
Unregistered Trading Platform Put Thousands of Investors' Money at Risk
New York Attorney General Letitia James today took legal action to shut down an illegally operating cryptocurrency trading platform that defrauded thousands of investors across the nation out of more than $1 million. In a lawsuit filed against Coinseed, Inc. — the owner and operator of a virtual currency trading platform — and its two top executives — founder and Chief Executive Officer Delgerdalai Davaasambuu and Chief Financial Officer Sukhbat Lkhagvadorj — Attorney General James seeks to stop Coinseed and the two individual defendants from further operating as unregistered commodities broker-dealers through their mobile application, as well as return investments of Coinseed’s worthless cryptocurrency, the CSD token. Millions around the country and the world today use cryptocurrencies as decentralized digital currencies — unlike real, regulated government currencies, including the U.S. dollar — to buy goods and services, often times anonymously, through secure online transactions. In today's lawsuit, Attorney General James alleges Coinseed and the individual defendants were unlawfully trading cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, without being a registered broker-dealer in New York, while simultaneously failing to disclose certain fees associated with the trading of virtual currencies on their investor’s behalf.
“Unregulated and fraudulent virtual currency entities, no matter how big or small, will no longer be tolerated in New York,” said Attorney General James. “For over three years, Coinseed and its executives flagrantly and illegally violated New York state laws, but the corporate greed perpetrated by Coinseed while committing fraud against thousands of investors ends now. This lawsuit should send a clear message to all those trading cryptocurrencies that my office will work tirelessly to ensure transparency and fairness in the market and will not hesitate to protect investors’ wallets against all those who seek to defraud them.”
Today’s lawsuit — filed in New York County State Supreme Court — alleges that the defendants sought to finance their fraudulent company by raising funds in an unregistered securities offering and luring in investors with false claims about their professional experiences and the role of their management team. Coinseed scammed investors into purchasing their CSD token by violating New York laws requiring complete and truthful disclosures, as would be required by those offering any other traditional securities offering.
Attorney General James further alleges, in the complaint, that the defendants, while advertising low fees for the mobile application trading platform, were adding an undisclosed markup to the quoted price to extract additional fees from investors. Additionally, Attorney General James charges Coinseed and the additional defendants with conducting an unregistered securities offering in the form of an initial coin offering (ICO) for CSD, as well as never registering to trade any cryptocurrency within or from New York state.
Attorney General James specifically charges Coinseed and the two executives with violating New York’s Martin Act and New York Executive Law § 63(12). Attorney General James seeks restitution for the thousands of defrauded investors, disgorgement of already raised funds with interest, permanent injunctions against all the defendants to immediately stop this illegal behavior, and an officer-and-director bar against individual defendants Davaasambuu and Lkhagvadorj and a bar against Coinseed prohibiting them from participating in any future securities offerings or as commodities broker-dealers. Attorney General James also seeks the full closure of Coinseed’s business operations.
This matter was investigated in parallel with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which, today, filed a similar but separate action against Coinseed. Attorney General James wishes to thank the SEC for their cooperation in this matter.
Governor Cuomo Announces Indoor Family Entertainment Centers Can Open March 26, Outdoor Amusement Parks Can Open April 9 & Camps Can Begin to Plan for Summer Opening
25 Percent Capacity Limit in Indoor Family Entertainment Centers and Places of Amusement; 33 Percent Capacity Limit in Outdoor Amusement Parks
All Facilities Must Submit Reopening Plans with Health Protocols to Local Health Department
Face Coverings and Social Distancing Required for Customers and Staff; Health Screening with Temperature Checks Required for All Customers Prior to Entry
Day and Overnight Summer Camps Can Begin to Plan for Reopening; Department of Health Will Issue Guidance in the Coming Weeks
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that indoor family entertainment centers and places of amusement can open with a 25 percent capacity limit beginning Friday, March 26. Outdoor amusement parks can open with a 33 percent capacity limit beginning Friday, April 9. All facilities must submit reopening plans with health protocols to the local health department. Face coverings and social distancing will be required for all customers and staff, and customers will be required to have a health screening with temperature checks prior to entry. Additionally, day and overnight summer camps in New York State can begin to plan for reopening. The Department of Health will issue specific reopening guidance, including details on timing, in the coming weeks.
"In New York, we base our decisions on the science and data and adjust as the virus adjusts," Governor Cuomo said. "With continued decreases in the infection and hospitalization rates, we have been able to take steps toward beginning our post-COVID recovery and we are excited to now be in a place where we can bring back our recreational industries with safety protocols in place. As we've said time and time again, our success will be dictated by our actions and as long as we stay united and keep carrying this momentum forward in a positive direction, we will be able to see more and more sectors of our economy reopen."
In addition to face coverings, social distancing and mandatory health screenings, all indoor family and entertainment centers and places of amusement, and outdoor amusement parks, must follow the below guidelines:
- Contact information must be collected from each party to inform contact tracing, if needed;
- High-touch areas, attractions, and rides must be cleaned and disinfected frequently throughout the day;
- Attractions must close if they cannot ensure distancing and be frequently cleaned/disinfected;
- Sufficient staff must be deployed to enforce compliance with rules, including capacity, distancing and face coverings;
- Tickets should be sold in advance, and entry/exit and waiting times should be staggered to avoid congestion;
- Indoor areas must meet enhanced air filtration, ventilation and purification standards; and
Retail, food services and recreational activities must abide by all State-issued guidance.