The Mohawk Valley Region along with four other regions in New York are moving into Phase 2 of reopening.
Governor Cuomo made the announcement at his daily briefing Friday afternoon following some confusion Thursday night and Friday morning after regions that were poised to reopen were told they had to wait for data to be reviewed by international health experts.
"These are literally the best minds that you can find on the globe when it comes to this. And they have gone through all the data. So I feel confident that we can rely on this data and the five regions that have been in Phase 1 can now move to Phase 2", Cuomo said.
WGY News spoke to Montgomery County Executive Matt Ossenfort Friday morning prior to the Governor's clarification on the reopening process. The Mohawk Valley Region Regional Control Room member said leaders were collectively blindsided by the miscommunication.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who represents the North Country Region, released a statement on Thursday night saying she had heard from "hundreds of frustrated and upset local officials and small businesses" who she called "outraged by the unacceptable and arbitrary decision by Governor Cuomo to move the goal posts for re-opening."
The Capital Region is expected to move to Phase 2 on Wednesday, 6/3. Retail and professional industries including salons and barbershops are included in Phase 2.