NY coronavirus order for businesses to close: What’s considered essential, non-essential?

Syracuse Cooperative Market

A grocery aisle at Syracuse Cooperative Market, 618 Kensington Road, Syracuse.Jacob Pucci

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday all non-essential businesses must close or have employees work from home.

Cuomo’s latest directive followed orders for businesses to reduce the in-person workforce by 25 to 75% in recent days. The 100% workforce reduction goes into effect on Sunday at 8 p.m.

The order has many asking: What’s considered essential work and what’s not?

The state is asking all businesses that are not on the list to close or have employees work from home beginning Sunday. Business owners who believe their in-person services are essential can ask to be added by contacting Empire State Development.

Businesses allowed to remain open are asked to implement social distancing rules of at least six feet.

The state is updating the list as circumstances change during the coronavirus pandemic, so check back for the most up-to-date information. Syracuse.com is keeping track. Check back for up-to-date information.

(See further below for a list of businesses that have been explicitly ordered to close.)

List of essential businesses (allowed to remain open):

Healthcare

  • Research and laboratory services
  • Hospitals
  • Walk-in-care health clinics and facilities
  • Emergency veterinary and medical livestock services
  • Elder care
  • Medical wholesale and distribution
  • Home health care workers and aides for the elderly
  • Doctor and emergency dental services
  • Nursing homes, residential health care facilities, congregate care facilities
  • Medical supplies and equipment manufacturers and providers
  • Licensed mental health providers
  • Licensed substance abuse treatment providers
  • Medical billing support personnel
  • Emergency chiropractic services
  • Physical therapy (with prescription from medical professional)
  • Occupational therapy (with prescription from medical professional)

Infrastructure / Transportation

  • Utilities (power generation, fuel supply, transmission and more)
  • Public water and wastewater
  • Telecommunications and data centers
  • Airports and airlines
  • Commercial shipping vessels
  • Ports and seaports
  • Bus, rail, for-hire vehicles
  • Garages and other transportation infrastructure
  • Hotels and accommodations

Manufacturing

  • Food processing and manufacturing (food and beverage)
  • Chemicals
  • Medical equipment and instruments
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Safety and sanitary products
  • Personal care products regulated by the Food and Drug Administration
  • Telecommunications
  • Microelectronics and semiconductors
  • Food-producing agriculture and farms (read more about landscaping and horticulture)
  • Household paper products
  • Defense industry
  • Transportation infrastructure
  • Automobiles
  • Any parts or components necessary for essential products

Retail

  • Grocery stores (all food and beverage stores)
  • Pharmacies
  • Convenience stores
  • Farmer’s markets
  • Gas stations
  • Restaurants and bars (take-out / delivery only)
  • Food delivery services
  • Hardware and building material stores
  • Pet food
  • Telecommunications to service existing customers and accounts
  • Delivery for orders placed remotely at non-essential businesses (orders must be placed via phone or online; only one employee is permitted to be physically present at the business to fulfill orders)

Services

  • Trash and recycling collection, processing and disposal
  • Mail and shipping
  • Laundromats and other clothing / fabric cleaning services
  • Building cleaning and maintenance
  • Maintenance for the infrastructure of the facility or to maintain or safeguard materials or products therein
  • Child care
  • Automotive repair
  • Bicycle repair
  • Remote vehicle sales, with in-person return and delivery (by appointment only)
  • Warehouse (distribution and fulfillment)
  • Funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries (no ceremonies)
  • Storage (for essential businesses)
  • Animal shelters and care
  • Landscaping for maintenance and pest control (not cosmetic purposes)
  • Marine vessel repair and marinas, but only to support governmental and commercial operations (not for recreational purposes)
  • Designing, printing, publishing and signage companies to the extent they support essential businesses or services

Finance & Technology

  • Banks or lenders
  • Insurance
  • Payroll
  • Accounting
  • Finance markets services (except debt collection)
  • Logistics
  • Technology support for online services

Construction

  • Construction on roads, bridges, transit facilities, utilities, hospitals, healthcare facilities, affordable housing and homeless shelters.
  • Emergency repair
  • Construction related to essential infrastructure and safety
  • Construction for existing or currently-underway projects of an essential business
  • Construction work involving a single worker who is the sole employee on a job site.

Note: As of March 27, the state ordered all non-essential construction to shut down except for emergency construction including projects necessary to protect health and safety of the occupants, or to finish an ongoing project that would be unsafe to shut down. The state emphasized that remaining construction sites must be operated using social distance and safety practices or face closure and fines of up to $10,000. As of April 7, officials updated the guidance to instruct businesses to only allow essential employees on construction sites, with no other employees or personnel permitted. The state also noted municipalities and school districts are permitted to continue construction projects but are advised to postpone whenever possible and abide social distancing and other safety protocols.

Safety

  • Law enforcement (including corrections and community supervision)
  • Fire prevention and response
  • Building code enforcement
  • Security
  • Emergency management and response
  • EMS and 911 dispatch
  • Defense and national security (U.S. government and contractors)

Sanitation

  • Building cleaners and janitors
  • General maintenance (vendor or direct employment)
  • Disinfection

Other

  • News media
  • Homeless shelters
  • Human services providers, basic needs providers and others serving economically disadvantaged populations
  • Congregate care facilities
  • Food banks
  • Residential facilities
  • Essential government services
  • Personnel necessary for online classes and distance learning
  • Remote instruction or streaming of classes from public or private schools, as well as health and fitness centers (no in-person congregate classes permitted)
  • Government-owned or leased buildings
  • Residential moving services
  • Real estate (title searches, appraisals, permitting, inspections and the recordation, legal, financial and other services necessary to complete a transfer of real property; social distancing and sanitation practices must be followed and offices cannot remain open to the general public)
  • Lawyers (all in-person work must be in support of essential businesses or services; even then, work must be conducted as remotely as possible)
  • Recreation including parks and open spaces (except playgrounds and other areas where social distancing cannot be abided; golf courses and boat launches are not essential)

Non-essential businesses (not eligible for “essential” designation)

  • Barbershops and hair salons
  • Tattoo and piercing salons
  • Nail salons
  • Other personal care service such as hair removal businesses, cosmetologists and estheticians
  • Casinos and gaming facilities
  • Gyms, fitness centers and exercise classes
  • Movie theaters
  • Auditoriums, concerts
  • Conferences
  • Retail shopping malls
  • Amusement parks, carnivals, water parks, aquariums, zoos, arcades, fairs, children’s play centers, funplexes, theme parks and children’s attractions
  • Bowling alleys
  • Sporting events and stadiums
  • Golf courses
  • Boat launches and marinas (may be used for commercial and governmental purposes but not recreationally)
  • Worship services (places of worship are not ordered closed but are asked to uphold social distancing rules and to not hold gatherings)

Are we missing one? Have a question about your industry? Contact Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992

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