Allegany County is pleased to announce that we have setup a new page on
the County website to help guide our local businesses in the reopening
plans. Allegany County is part of the
Western New York Region and has not been authorized to re-open yet.
This region includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Niagara, and Erie
Counties. Erie County includes the City of Buffalo and all of its suburbs
amounting to an estimated 918,000 population. Allegany County has an
estimated 46,000 population in 2019 for comparison. Regions were
previously determined by New York State, and there is no local control
regarding this decision.
Businesses currently
operating as essential must also follow the new procedures New York State
established. Please go to “Sector Guides” for this information. If you do not
see your sector information in the link, be patient. New York State has just
begun to release the guidelines.
We are submitting a draft plan for reopening our County
to the Lt. Governor. The new webpage has links to the NYS guidance for
Phase 1 businesses including the guidelines, a self-certification form, and a
template for businesses to use for their own safety plans. We encourage you to monitor changes in your
business type that may impact what you are expected to do and comply
with. You are still required to comply with permitting
agencies related to your business such as the Allegany County Health Department
or New York State entities such as the Department of Labor, Liquor Authority,
or Ag and Markets. When in doubt, refer to the CDC, OSHA, NYS
Department of Labor, and other regulatory sites for guidance as it will
continue to change.
Allegany County Industrial Development Agency and
Allegany County Developer Dr. Craig Clark noted, “Allegany County has been
working with our local businesses, schools of higher education, and government
officials [known as the Economic Development Steering Committee] to
develop useful information that will help guide our businesses in their efforts
to reopen. We are also working closely with our representatives including
Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul who heads up the WNY Regional group that will
determine what and when we can reopen businesses. The Allegany County Economic Development
Steering Committee is active in reviewing the plans to reopen Allegany County,
and we look forward to this eventual go ahead by the state. The Development and
Planning Office have been responsible for the work, and the plan is coming
together.”
As Allegany County and our businesses are
preparing for reopening, the new re-opening webpage will assist residents and
businesses on the process. The new page
is located at: https://www.alleganyco.com/coronavirus/reopening-allegany-county/
