New York State capitol complex in Albany Empire State Plaza, New York state capitol complex in Albany. Photo: SpiroviewInc/Shutterstock

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says New York's Capital Region should be able to reopen parts of its economy starting Wednesday. Meanwhile, another slate of state courts are expected to start accepting new nonessential lawsuits previously banned under filing restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 crisis.

Cuomo's announcement means the Capital Region, which includes the cities of Albany, Schenectady and Troy, will be able to move into phase one of his reopening scheme. That phase allows construction, agriculture and manufacturing companies to bring back their operations. 

The move places Capital Region law firms on a faster track to reopen their offices compared to firms in New York City and Long Island, two regions that have not hit state-mandated benchmarks for lifting COVID-19 lockdown measures. Law firms are expected to be included in the second phase of the state's reopening plan.

As the intensity of the COVID-19 crisis continues to wane in New York, officials have moved to reopen upstate regions that have not faced the brunt of the crisis. 

The lockdown measures require that nonessential workers stay home. The orders have shuttered businesses across the state and brought economic havoc for certain industries, but are credited with reducing the spread of the coronavirus.

To reopen, state officials require that regions see a downturn, or a low number, of hospital deaths or new hospitalizations. The state benchmarks require that regions have the ability to do 30 diagnostic tests per 1,000 residents on a monthly basis, among other metrics.

Starting Thursday, courts in Western New York will begin accepting new nonessential lawsuits that had been barred due to the COVID-19 crisis, said state court spokesman Lucian Chalfen. Those lawsuits will be able to be filed electronically, he said, and judges and their personal staff will be returning to their courthouses in that region.

On Wednesday, courts in the state's vast North Country region are expected to start accepting new nonessential cases electronically. 

With the Capital Region receiving the reopening green light, its state courts could also see the filing restrictions lifted as well, but it was uncertain if that would happen as of Tuesday afternoon.

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