Gyms and hair salons and spas can reopen in the state's orange zones, which include most of Erie County and a sliver of Niagara County, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said today.
Here are the details:
- Gyms can reopen at 25% capacity and salons can reopen at 50% capacity.
- Weekly testing of salon employees is required.
New data released by the state on Friday showed that gyms account for 0.06% of the Covid-19 cases, while hair and personal care businesses are responsible for 0.14% of the cases.
Household gatherings account for nearly 74% of Covid cases, Cuomo said.
"Gyms are one of the lowest-known spreaders now," Cuomo said.
Hair salons and other personal care businesses, which have been required to implement extensive safety measures since being allowed to reopen in the spring, also have low transmission rates. The rate of spread at salons and spas "was much worse earlier on," he said.
The move to shut down gyms and salons had been criticized by the owners of those businesses, who said they felt singled-out by the state and questioned whether their establishments were a significant source of new Covid-19 cases.
Cuomo said the decision was part of the state's efforts to reevaluate its attempts to balance the need to stop the spread of Covid cases and the public health benefit that comes from it, with a desire to keep the economy open as much as possible.
"You're calibrating the risk level of the economic activity," said Cuomo, who also issued new guidance for expanding the capacity of the state's hospitals. "The only reason you would close the economy is because it would overwhelm the hospitals."
