Mayor Barlow Lifts Stay At Home Order, Reopens Playgrounds

OSWEGO – Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow held a Facebook Live announcement today in response to Central New York meeting the criteria to begin phase one of reopening.

Barlow said with this in mind, he has decided to lift the Stay At Home, Stop The Spread Order and to reopen parks, playgrounds and city amenities and public areas effective tomorrow at 5.

Barlow asks that city residents continue to limit travel, limit trips to the grocery store to essential items and to not take the entire family to the grocery store. City Hall will remain closed until at least June 1. Wright’s Marina is still closed until at least July 13.

“We’re going to keep city facilities, so City Hall and city offices, will remain closed to the public, but of course we’ll still be operating,” Barlow said. “We’re going to continue our code enforcement and Oswego Police Department social distance enforcement details. So we ask that as we open parks and playgrounds that you still continue to social distance, that you limit your groups to no more than three people, you avoid frequently touched hard surfaces, and wear masks, of course, like we’re all urging everybody to do.”

The Department of Public Works will continue to sanitize public benches, crosswalks and playgrounds.

The mass gatherings ban it still in effect and will continue to be enforced.

“We are still in the middle of this battle against coronavirus,” Barlow said. “Because we are now having the discussion and moving towards a return to normalcy or going through that reopening process, we shouldn’t just go back to how we lived life before this and act like everything’s okay. The main objective now at this point is to hit phase two and to hit phase three and hit phase four, moving forward and as early as we can get there in a responsible fashion.”

Barlow said to continue moving forward, the city must continue doing what it has been doing to get to this point and to conduct an aggressive testing program.

“Don’t let your guard down even as the economy turns on,” Barlow said.  “Don’t run outside; don’t be reckless. Try to continue to be considerate of other and those who are vulnerable in the City of Oswego, and take your own personal safety and the safety of others into account.”

He said if residents become reckless and the numbers go up, it could hurt the data that will allow for the next reopening phase or result in a need to close back down.

Barlow said at 2 p.m. today the city revamped the City of Oswego Emergency Assistance website to include updated resources for businesses as the phases allow them to reopen. Businesses will need to submit a safety plan as they reopen. The number for the Economic Development Office is 315-343-3795 for businesses to call with questions.

“Each phase is going to be staggered, there could be anywhere from 10 days to two, three weeks between phases,” Barlow said. “We’re opening phase one now; it’s a gentle turn of that valve. We’ll review the data the next week and a half to two weeks before being able to proceed and get the green light from New York state to proceed to phase two, so you shouldn’t expect rapid turn of that valve and see these businesses and life return to normal as fast as you may hope.”

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