Five upstate N.Y. regions to enter phase three of reopening Friday — but Cuomo urges ‘caution’

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Scott Heins/Getty Images)\

Five upstate New York regions will enter phase three of the coronavirus reopening process just in time for the weekend, Gov. Cuomo announced Thursday, allowing restaurants to offer indoor service again and giving the green light to nail salons, spas and tattoo shops as well.

But the governor, speaking during a briefing from Albany, stressed that business owners must exercise extreme “caution” as they start opening their doors on Friday — or the consequences can be disastrous.

“Everything we’ve done has been exactly right up until now, but that is up until now,” Cuomo said. “You can make a mistake today that wipes out everything we’ve done. So we have to be smart.”

The regions that will enter phase three Friday are North Country, Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley, Central New York and Finger Lakes.

Phase three allows restaurants to host patrons inside, though an establishment’s capacity cannot exceed 50% and six feet of social distancing must be maintained at all times.

Patrons and workers are also required to wear face coverings at all times, except when seated.

The same goes for personal care services like nail salons, spas and tattoo shops.

In addition, any service that requires patrons to remove their face masks is prohibited, such as face piercings and face massages.