Local officials from seven counties in the region met to discuss reopening the region.

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Last Tuesday, the top officials from Orange, Ulster, Dutchess Putnam, Sullivan, Greene and Columbia counties announced they are working together to collectively reopen the Hudson Valley.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced regions can start to reopen on May 15 if a number of guidelines are met. Once a region meets the criteria to reopen businesses will reopen in four phases.

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On Friday, the "Hudson Valley Reopening Workgroup" held its first meeting and released the following statement:

Throughout the pandemic we have taken a collaborative approach to protect the health and safety of our region. Working together with neighboring counties to responsibly and deliberately reopen our local economy is an extension of the work we have been engaged in for months. Today, we shared ideas, data, concerns, and best practices we have seen respectively in our communities. We look forward to
continuing to ensure Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan, Greene, Columbia, and Putnam counties come out of COVID-19 stronger and more united. In the coming days, we will work together to produce a set of regional recommendations to responsibly open, which we will share with New York State for consideration.

Cuomo's New York Forward plan splits the state up into 10 regions. Columbia and Green counties are included in the "Capital Region" while Westchester and Rockland counties are placed in the "Mid-Hudson" region.

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