Local Officials Talk Reopening, Discuss Importance Of Coordination

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JAMESTOWN – Officials from Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties held a press conference Tuesday afternoon discussing the importance of local and state coordination during the COVID-19 reopening process.

Congressman Tom Reed joined New York State Senator George Borrello, State Assemblyman Andy Goodell and Assemblyman Joe Gigilio.

The group emphasized the need for interregional and cross-county collaboration to ensure entire regions are not suddenly shut down again.

With enhanced testing capacity in place, they argued the importance of moving away from using an “economic zones” framework to guide decision making.

Instead, the group said state leaders need to transition to a flexible and dynamic reopening system that avoids lumping distinct population centers together and leverages each region’s unique set of resources.

Viewers can watch the full press conference in the video above, or, by clicking here.