Reopening: States enter into various stages of reopening

Editor’s note: Much of the nation has been shut down over the past two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But now the economy is reopening, and businesses are ramping up for what they hope will be a busy summer that will return them to some sense of normalcy. To help mark the reopening and tell the positive, meaningful stories of how we’re rebuilding, we’re launching the first of a weekly series titled, “Reopening.” Each week we’ll delve into a different aspect of the reopening, how local businesses are dealing with it and the positive impact it’s having on our communities. The first installment takes a look at Pennsylvania and several other states and where they stand in the reopening.
While the national toll for deaths related to CVOID-19 eclipsed 100,000 this week, states across the country currently find themselves in various stages of their respective reopening plans, which has proven to be a sign of optimism from local leaders that the outbreak is trending in a positive direction.
Pennsylvania
The Keystone State is in the process of reopening based on positive case numbers, which are still high in more densely populated regions. Gov. Tom Wolf’s color-coded reopening plan consists of red, yellow and green phases.
There remain 10 counties in the southeastern part of the state that are still in the red phase, which is the most restrictive. The majority of the state, including Washington and Greene counties, is in the yellow phase, which lightens the restrictions, but will move to the green phase on Friday. Retail shopping, for instance, is allowed in the yellow phase but only under certain guidelines. In the green phase, restaurants, salons, gyms, theaters, shopping malls and casinos may open at 50% capacity with social distancing restrictions.
Jeff Kotula, president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, said that if businesses want to move into the green phase, the social distancing measures and “healthy practices” that they’ve been maintaining the last two months will need to continue. He said customers will want to feel safe when they begin patronizing businesses again.
“We understand that businesses, especially small businesses, are eager to reopen and welcome their customers back,” Kotula said. “And while that is the ultimate goal, we have counseled our businesses to open based upon customer demand for their products and services. This may take some time as customers need to feel safe to patronize businesses again, but it will be beneficial to both the business and customers in the long term.”
West Virginia
West Virginia continues its reopening this week as the Mountain State enters week six of Gov. Jim Justice’s Comeback plan.
The state’s five casinos are allowed to open this Friday. Over this past weekend, pools, limited video lottery operations and other businesses saw their first opportunity to open since March.
Also last week, museums and visitor centers could reopen, along with state park cabins and lodges – for in-state visitors only – and bars, with capacity reduced by 50%.
Wayne Waldeck, co-owner of the Blennerhassett Hotel in downtown Parkersburg, said the lounge opened Thursday to go along with indoor dining, which resumed with a reduced capacity and tables spaced so that chairs were 6 feet apart when pulled out.
Waldeck said he’s been surprised with the amount of customers they’ve seen since reopening, which he attributes to safety practices like servers wearing masks and gloves. A different employee clears the table or, if that’s not possible, the server puts on an additional pair of gloves “so there’s never any cross-contamination,” he said.
Ohio
Businesses across the Buckeye State have reopened via the “Responsible RestartOhio” plan, and Gov. Mike DeWine lifted the mandatory stay-at-home order May 19.
Manufacturing and distribution companies and retail services have reopened, but staff is required to wear face coverings, conduct daily health assessments and maintain cleaning procedures.
On May 26, gyms and fitness centers were allowed to reopen and baseball and softball teams will be allowed to play, as long as they follow guidelines set by the Ohio Department of Health.
Child care providers and day camps may reopen May 31 with reduced numbers of children. Catering and banquet facilities may open again on June 1 and are limited to 300 guests with similar guidelines to restaurants.
Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis’s reopening plan is in Phase 1, which reopened much of the state’s businesses. Beaches, parks, restaurants, gyms and fitness centers, salons and retail shops are all open, under many restrictions relating to building capacity and social distancing guidelines.
Vacation rentals, theme parks, bars and nightclubs, which typically boost tourism across the state, are expected to open with restrictions next month, under Phase 2 of the plan, which can be found at flgov.com.
Vacation rentals will be limited to in-state reservations, and theme parks will be limited to 50% capacity. Also in Phase 2, retail stores, restaurants and gyms will be bumped back up to 75% capacity.
New York
With the exception of New York City, the rest of New York has entered Phase 1 of reopening under statewide guidelines, allowing non-essential businesses in the fields of construction, agriculture, manufacturing and wholesale trade to resume operations.
Retail activities are limited to pick-up and drop-off. The state has issued mandatory guidelines and recommended best practices for all of the affected businesses.
The western region of the state is expected to enter Phase 2 on Tuesday, which will allow retail establishments to open with limits on occupancy, along with professional and administrative services, real estate and rental and leasing, said Todd Tranum, president and CEO of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s really important to our economy and to our workforce to get folks back into the workplace and getting money circulating back into the economy,” he said.
Like other states, New York’s continued reopening is contingent upon positive trends in infection and hospitalization rates. Tranum said businesses and customers must remain diligent with safety precautions to make that happen.
Maryland
Twenty-three of 24 counties in Maryland have entered or announced plans to enter Stage One of the “Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery.” That includes resuming outdoor dining and other outdoor activities like youth sports, day camps and pools while continuing to follow public health guidance.
The statewide guidelines are being implemented on a community-by-community basis, according to a recent news release from Gov. Larry Hogan, who warned that COVID-19 “is still very much a deadly threat, and our responsible behavior is absolutely critical in the continued efforts to defeat it.”
If positive, data-based trends continue, Hogan said the state will be poised to move on to Stage Two, which involves lifting the executive order that closed non-essential businesses.
Katie Anderson, LynAnne Vucovich, Darby Hinkley, Lauren Fox and Evan Bevins contributed to this story.