Local Government Response to COVID‐19

Local Government Response to COVID‐19

On March 13, 2020, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 202.1 which suspends Article 7 of the Public Officers Law (also known as the Open Meetings Law), to the extent necessary to permit any public body to meet and take such actions authorized by law without allowing the public to be physically present at the meeting. The order also authorizes public bodies to meet remotely by conference call or similar service.  If a public body restricts in‐person access to its meetings or conducts a meeting remotely by conference call or similar service, the public body must provide the public the ability to view or listen to such meetings and must record and later transcribe such meetings. The Executive Order also requires that events with 500 or more attendees be cancelled or postponed for a minimum of 30 days. Additionally, events, gatherings, and places of business or public accommodation for which anticipated attendance is less than 500 attendees operate at 50 percent occupancy or capacity for 30 days, effective March 13, 2020. These directives do not apply to a school, hospital, nursing home, other medical office or facility as determined by the Commissioner of Health, mass transit or mass transit facility, governmental facility, law enforcement facility, or retail establishments including grocery stores. Additionally, the Commissioner of Health may allow for businesses that are not public gathering spaces to exceed 500 persons if the occupancy is less than 50 percent capacity, subject to public health review.
A copy of the Governor’s Executive Orders may be viewed online at
www.governor.ny.gov/executiveorders.

 
There continues to be no nationwide or statewide standards or guidelines for how local governments specifically should be responding to the COVID‐19 outbreak.
Consequently, local government officials should be working with their county boards of health to coordinate their response to the COVID‐19 virus. While in some instances communities may be able to contain outbreaks of COVID‐19, the current goal of addressing COVID‐19, as articulated by the CDC and the NYS Department of Health, is to mitigate against the spread of the virus and reduce its rate of transmission.

Personal Conduct

The current advice from the CDC and the NYS Department of Health is as follows:
1. Individuals should frequently wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If
soap and water are not available, individuals should use an alcohol‐based hand sanitizer.
2. Individuals should avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
3. Individuals should avoid close contact with people who are sick.
4. Individuals should stay home when they are sick.
5. Individuals should cover their cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
6. Touched objects and surfaces should be frequently cleaned and disinfected.