Five regions of upstate New York are entering the third phase of the economic reopening on Friday, June 12 as the coronavirus infection rate stands below 2 percent of the tens of thousands of people being tested each day. 

The affected regions are the Mohawk Valley, Central New York, the North Country, the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier.

What You Need To Know


  • Phase 3 begins today for five regions

  • Social distancing and mask wearing in public must still be followed

  • In-restaurant dining and nail salons can open

  • Other areas of the country that have reopened have seen spikes

The regions will be allowed to have restaurants open for inside dining. Personal grooming services like nail salons can also open. 

A list of those businesses and guidances can be found here.

Social distancing guidelines and mask wearing must be follow, officials said, in order to limit the spread of the virus. 

New York is gradually reopening an economy that has been shuttered since the middle of March to combat the spread of a virus that has killed more than 20,000 people in the state. 

The unemployment rate in April spiked to an historic 14.5 percent and billions of dollars in unemployment insurance has been paid ut. 

“We must continue the process of safely reopening to ensure that our North Country economy can continue to move forward and recover," said Assemblyman Billy Jones, a Democrat who represents the North Country. "I wish the best of luck to the businesses in this next phase and thank you for your continued commitment to our community. I am hopeful that our neighbors to the north will be allowed to re-enter the country and frequent these businesses as well as visit their loved ones. The work does not end here, I will continue to work to help more businesses be included in Phase III and I am hopeful that as we work together, further sectors of our economy will be opened.”