New COVID-19 Restrictions
/Dealership Showrooms in “Red Zone” Areas are to be Closed to the Public
COVID numbers in parts of New York have again spiked over the last few weeks, which prompted Governor Andrew Cuomo to take new action this week to try and bring the new spread under control. Some of these actions affect some dealers in NYC and Rockland and Orange Counties.
Enforcement of the new restrictions starts today, Friday, October 9th. The new rules will remain in effect for at least the next 14 days.
Gov. Cuomo’s new rules follow a color-coded mapping system that indicates where restrictions apply for COVID-19 clusters that have emerged in Brooklyn and Queens, and Orange and Rockland Counties. This system consists of three levels: red, orange, and yellow zones. Businesses in the most severe area, designated as a "Red Zone," must close unless they are an "essential business."
Back in March, Governor Cuomo issued an Executive Order which closed most businesses with some exceptions for "essential businesses," which included new car dealer service operations.
While this latest Order does not require dealers located in a "Red Zone" to shut down all operations, it does restrict the public from walk-in access to showrooms to purchase vehicles.
Affected Dealers can still offer customers test-drives or meet with a sales representative if they have an appointment. The new Order has no impact on service departments, which have been exempt from any limitation for nearly the pandemic's entire length.
None of the "Yellow" or "Orange" restrictions in the new Order apply to dealerships in any fashion.
To check and see if your dealership falls in one of the "Red Zones," dealers can click on the links below. Please note that restrictions described above only apply to dealer sales departments in the dark-shaded "Red" Zone" areas.
Link to New York City search tool.
Links to Hudson Valley maps:
If you have any further questions, please call the GNYADA Dealer Hotline at 718.746.5900.
