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Local Businesses Adjust to Phase Four Changes Local Businesses Adjust to Phase Four Changes

By Brady Williams

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© 2020 Brady Williams

Michelle Gregory: I get that it’s very tricky. We’ve never done this before. But it’s been very confusing as a small business owner to try to plan and you know, get our message out that we’re back when Oh, sorry. No, we’re not just kidding.

Brady Williams: Michelle Gregory and other business owners were relying on a July 6 reopening.

MG: And then last night heard that now, you know, the malls aren’t going to be opening till after phase four, which kind of just puts all of us in a little bit of a limbo because we have one location we can open. And now the other one, we can’t.

BW: Malls, movie theaters, and gyms were set to reopen as phase four began. But now New York State has removed them from the list. The sudden change means pushing back every plan. And for Gregory who has to run to stores in different situations. It can harm the people who work for her.

MG: It affects our employees in a lot of ways. You know, we can’t bring back as many as we’d like and we even can’t to begin with anyway. So it makes it even more are difficult.

BW: So while your home workouts may be straining, the financial strain that they’re putting on small business owners is even bigger.

MG: To be honest with you it’s gonna take a while for us to recover.

BW: It’s made small business owners wonder if the timing of who can open when might be a little unfair.

MG: That the mall isn’t open and we don’t have an outside entrance is very difficult. I feel like if some of these small businesses can open, the mall should be able to open.

BW: Despite comprehensive plans to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within the exempted businesses, the state still feels it’s better for malls, gyms and theaters to wait and that’s what they’ll do. Brady Williams, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — For weeks, Phase Four was believed to be one of the final steps in reopening New York state. However, on Tuesday night, it was announced that businesses would be placed in subgroups. That means malls, movie theaters and gyms are all going to have to wait longer than expected to reopen.

For Michelle Gregory, owner of CNY Gym Centre, it’s presented some unique challenges. Her business, which offers gymnastics classes, has two locations. One has its own building, while the other is located in the Great Northern Mall. The stand-alone location will be free to open up on Phase Four’s presumed starting date, June 26. The mall location will have to wait.

 

Closed Mall
Gregory’s second gym is located in a mall like this, but new regulations will force her to wait.
© 2020 Brady Williams

With only one location, Gregory can only accommodate half of her usual clientele. Considering the business already has to separate clients to maintain social distancing, it’s a major blow to their income.

It also presents challenges for her employees. Only one location needs to be run, so maintaining a full-time, fully-formed staff is impossible. She says she understands that the provisions set forth by the state are intended to keep people safe, but wonders if the exact order of things is fair.

“That the mall isn’t open and we don’t have an outside entrance is very difficult.” Gregory said, “I feel like if some of these small businesses can open, the mall should be able to open.”

She feels that most of the businesses being excluded are already prepared to reopen. Measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and since business owners believed they’d be opening around June 26, these plans were compliant with New York state’s standards. The sudden change has forced these businesses to rapidly adjust.

State officials maintain that with new coronavirus data coming in every day, plans from several weeks ago aren’t always going to stay the same. Gregory understands why leaders want to be cautious in reopening the state, but there’s no denying that the new provisions are frustrating for the business owners that have to wait.

To provide more comprehensive information on what businesses are allowed to reopen, New York state has a searchable catalog of industries and their status.

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