Kings County meets governor's benchmarks to allow more businesses to open in Stage 2

Kings County health officials, on May 15, submitted an attestation or attempt by the county to provide proof that the county had met most of the state's criteria needed to open up. That initial attestation was denied, but county health officials submitted a second attestation under new guidelines recently outlined in the governor's "Resiliency Roadmap."

At the same meeting last week, supervisors also voted 4-0 to allow Kings County businesses to open, as long as businesses do everything they can to keep their employees and customers safe. Such measures include practicing social distancing, washing hands, avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth, staying in your home as much as possible, wearing a face mask or covering, limiting close contact, and cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces.

This time around the county's attestation was approved, meaning that in addition to businesses already opened as part of early-stage 2, today's approval of Kings County's variance attestation means that the following businesses can be officially opened:

• Destination retail (retail stores), including shopping malls and swap meets.
• Dine-in restaurants (other amenities, like bars or gaming areas, are not permitted in Stage 2).
• Schools with modifications

Mass gatherings such as concerts, graduations, and sporting events are still prohibited. Also, the following are not part of Stage 2, and are not permitted to operate until a later date:

• Personal services such as nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms, and fitness studios.
• Indoor museums, kids' museums, and gallery spaces, zoos, and libraries.
• Community centers, including public pools, playgrounds, and picnic areas.
• Limited-capacity religious services and cultural ceremonies.
• Nightclubs.
• Concert venues.
• Live audience sports.
• Festivals.
• Theme parks.
• Hotels/lodging for leisure and tourism – non-essential travel.
• Higher Education
• Graduation ceremonies

The CDPH has posted guidance and checklists for measures that businesses in these industries should implement to create a safer environment for staff and customers. Additionally, the Kings County Department of Public Health is available to guide businesses to implement safety measures. Visit www.countyofkings.com/departments/administration/reopen-kings for information and guidance.

"Early measures taken in Kings County to deal with COVID-19 have been effective enough to allow the County to progress through the expanded Stage 2 reopening," said Edward Hill, Director of Public Health. "We encourage residents to continue limiting their travel, implementing social distancing, and other hygiene measures to protect our most vulnerable residents."