ALBANY — Upstate New York lawmakers say they have increased confidence that regions with low rates of COVID-19 infections can safely begin to reopen businesses and have employees return to work in noncritical areas of the economy.

The advocates for such a phased-in approach said in interviews with CNHI they agree economic priorities need to be balanced with public health objectives in any plan for restarting a devastated New York economy.

“There is no business owner in the world who wants to put their employees or their customers at undue risk,” said Sen. Rob Ortt, R-North Tonawanda.

Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, D-Plattsburgh, echoed that view, noting state leaders should proceed methodically and cautiously with a reopening plan, while keeping in mind time is of the essence for many struggling businesses and families that have lost incomes.

“I’m not saying we should do it tomorrow, but we need to think about how we can allow some businesses to start to open up in an intelligent manner,” said Jones.

Those statements came as the New York State Restaurant Association estimated the food service industry across the state has lost $3.6 billion in sales so far this month. As part of the closure of nonessential businesses, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered restaurants and bars to close five weeks ago, but allowed takeout to continue.

Several upstate regions rely heavily on the summer tourism industry — including Cooperstown, the North Country, Niagara Falls and the Catskills.

Assemblyman Chris Tague, R-Schoharie, said he was told by the owners of a hospitality business in his district that if they don’t get a clear signal that they can reopen by June 20, they expect to suffer devastating losses. He noted the owner of three resort areas in Greenville alone employ hundreds of seasonal workers and provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in property tax and sales tax revenue for local governments. Those businesses are among those left in jeopardy by the shutdown, he said.

Tague said Cuomo has made important points by stressing the risks involved by allowing one region to reopen businesses while others are closed, as one consequence is residents from areas that have higher rates of infection will spill into the places that are reopening.

“We need to figure out how to address that, and we also need to come up with a plan for reopening” in the upstate regions where the infection rate is far below what is being experienced by downstate communities, he said.

Assemblyman John Salka, R-Brookfield, said he is worried some businesses will collapse if the shutdown of nonessential businesses is not lifted soon.

“Business people are watching what they spent years and years building go up in smoke,” Salka said, while numerous workers have yet to collect unemployment as the state system for applications has been overwhelmed.

“Even if it is done in a gradual way, with people adapting to a whole different scenario for doing business now, then I think we should at least give it a try,” Salka said.

A national business survey this month determined that 24% of small businesses are just 30 to 60 days from potentially closing permanently, said Garry Douglas, president and CEO of the North Country Chamber of Commerce.

Douglas said he was pleased by Cuomo’s announcement Tuesday that he will consider gradually ending closures of nonessential businesses in regions with lower infection rates and where health care systems have not been swamped by hospital admissions.

Douglas said he will join Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is now overseeing reopening planning for western New York, Wednesday in a web-streamed “town hall” conference on addressing ideas for returning to normalcy for businesses.

“I think we can be helpful in bringing the concerns of the business community to the table and in conveying back (to state leaders) what is doable,” he said. “As each week goes by, for many small businesses this is not about patience. It’s about their survival.”

Bringing the hospitality industry back is likely to be a slower process than it will be other sectors of the economy, he said.

“Even if everyone is told they can start traveling again tomorrow, there is going to be a period before people are psychologically ready to travel, ready to stay in a hotel, ready to go to a busy restaurant,” he said.

In Niagara County, Ortt said while the roadmap for reopening should be carefully assembled to address risks and acquire the personal protection equipment and other supplies needed to counter the virus, the economic toll on families and businesses needs to be a focal point.

“Every day that this goes on, more people are going to get laid off,” he said.

He noted New York, in determining which businesses should remain closed, has been more restrictive than the guidance provided by the federal government during the pandemic.

“I think there is room here, particularly for upstate New York to start reopening sectors of our economy and allow more businesses to operate, with restrictions — whether it’s masks, whether it’s gloves, and with the social distancing, all of those things,” the senator said.

As for Cuomo’s evolution on the issue, going from favoring a statewide approach to considering a regional one, Ortt said, “That is OK, because in fairness to him, there is no blueprint for this. There is no blueprint for how you close your economy down and then reopen the economy.”

Cuomo has continued the current shutdown of nonessential businesses through May 15. He has said his plans for both businesses and public schools beyond that date will be driven by data related to infection rates and hospital admissions.