The St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators chairman and three of the North Country's state representatives are calling on the governor to take a regional approach in re-opening the state economy.

The letter sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday, April 17 is signed by county legislature chairman Joe Lightfoot, assembly members Mark Walczyk and Ken Blankenbush, and Sen. Patty Ritchie. They are all Republicans.

They say the area should be held to a different standard than New York City when considering when to ease social distancing measures.

"As the curve continues to flatten and our state looks toward to reopening, we believe it is critical that we move forward with a regional approach that reflects the differences in population density and COVID-19 infection rates. In recent days, our offices have been inundated with concerns from those we represent about the devastating impact this pandemic is having on the economic vitality of our region," the letter reads.

It points to over 123,000 COVID-19 confirmed cases in New York City and "just over 200" in St. Lawrence, Lewis and Oswego counties, all of which are in the three state reps' districts.

The full letter can be read at https://bit.ly/2KpZfy5 .

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