“After much confusion and frustration, the Governor announced today that the North Country region is cleared for the Phase II regional reopening. While it is still unclear why there was a delay and lack of communication, business owners can finally begin to move into Phase II. This includes a variety of businesses such as office-based work, real estate services, commercial building management, essential and phase II retail instore sales, vehicle sales, leases and rentals, retail rental, repair and cleaning, hair salons and barbershops.

“I have continually advocated that the North Country will take longer to recover economically than most regions, so I am relieved that we can safely move into the next phase. I would like to thank our local elected officials, health departments, healthcare institutions, and all their personnel for the hard work. I wish the best of luck to the businesses and thank you for investing in our communities. There is more work to be done, and I am hopeful that we can continue moving our North Country economy forward as we work together to open other sectors of our economy and continue to stop the spread.”