Buffalo Niagara Partnership Releases November 18 COVID-19 Bulletin: Erie County Areas Moved To Orange Zones

Buffalo NY

20 November, 2020

12:23 PM

Description

Press release from the Buffalo Niagara Partnership: November 18 2020 Erie County Areas Move to Orange Zones Governor Cuomo announced today that several municipalities within Erie County are now designated as Orange Zones as part of the state's Cluster Action Initiative. These designations require certain activities and operations to stop or scale down until further notice.  Other municipalities in Erie and Niagara counties have been designated as Yellow Zones. For businesses, these changes are effective Friday, November 20th. For schools, these changes are effective Monday, November 23rd. The following municipalities have been designed Orange Zones: Amherst  Aurora  Buffalo  Cheektowaga  Clarence Eden  Elma Evans  Grand Island  Hamburg  Lackawanna  Lancaster  Orchard Park  Tonawanda (City & Town) West Seneca  In an Orange Zone: Non-essential 'high risk' business must close (gyms, fitness centers and classes, barber shops, hair salons, personal care services) Non-residential gatherings are limited to 10 people both indoors and outdoors Residential gatherings are limited to 10 people both indoors and outdoors Restaurants are limited to take-out, delivery, or outdoor dining (4 person per table max) Schools are closed, remote instruction only unless testing protocols are met Houses of worship capacity cap at lesser of 33% of capacity or 25 people The following municipalities either remain or have been designated as Yellow Zones:  All Erie County towns not on Orange Zone list North Tonawanda Wheatfield (south of Niagara Falls Boulevard) In a Yellow Zone: All business can remain open  Non-residential gatherings are limited to 25 people both indoors and outdoors Residential gatherings are limited to 10 people both indoors and outdoors Houses of worship must limit capacity to 50% of maximum  Indoor and outdoor dining is allowed with a maximum of 4 people per table  Schools remain open but are subject to mandatory weekly testing of students and staff The state's Cluster Action Initiative also includes the possibility of being designated a Red Zone. A breakdown of what is and is not allowed under Red, Orange and Yellow zones is provided below and here.    Employers are reminded that they must follow all industry specific re-opening guidelines as has been the case for the last several months.  Those guidelines can be found here.    ******* The Buffalo Niagara Partnership is committed to providing employers with the latest information and resources to help you deal with COVID-19 and its impact on our community, state and nation. Visit our Events and Resource pages as they are updated regularly to provide you with the most current information. Do you have specific questions related to running your business or your business unit? Visit the BNP Business Link, a question and answer forum for, and by, the Buffalo Niagara business community.  Submit your questions and get expert answers on just about any topic from legal, IT, HR, NYS regulations, sales, marketing, communications and more.  It is quick, confidential, powerful and convenient. This press release was produced by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. The views expressed are the author's own.