Local leaders and business owners called on the state to offer reopening guidelines for businesses still awaiting permission to open their doors.

State Senator Sue Serino joined Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro for a virtual press conference Wednesday and she said that thousands of New York businessnes may close if a state timeline for reopening does not arrive soon.

Businesses like gyms, bowling alleys, and indoor movie theaters have not been permitted to reopen as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s phased reopening plan. Leaders speaking at the press conference also called for those businesses to receive financial and regulatory relief from the state as a result of the additional hardships they have faced during the pandemic.

"Use the same smart steps we've taken to provide guidance to other businesses, and be clear with these businesses that the time has come to give them the direction and the guidance and allow them to make the smart investments necessary to reopen, and then provide them support moving forward," Molinaro said.

Molinaro added it's his belief from what he's seen that the organized settings these businesses can provide are safer when it comes to COVID-19 than disorganized settings that might be found in businesses that have been cleared to reopen.