ALBANY COUNTY — In a cathedral-like setting, prayers were offered Thursday morning for love and healing, peace and understanding.

If businesses and customers follow protocols and the metrics set by the state hold, the Capital Region would begin Phase 3 on June 17.

Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen said of recent protests that “a large part of this anger is due to an underlying systemic problem that occurs across this country, and that is racism.”

As the Capital Region prepares to have Phase 2 businesses reopen, Albany County Executive Daniel Mccoy said, “Many people are going to be coming out that have been home almost 13 weeks … They’re going to come out to a new world … I know people are nervous … We need you to do the right things.”

The common thread in Alice Green’s life has been finding freedom, not just for individuals, but by working to change what she calls “structural racism.”

Three incumbents — Herb Hennings, Mark Keeling, and Phil Metzger — are running to keep their seats on the Guilderland Public Library Board of Trustees. They are being challenged by Marcia Alazraki and Richard Rubin.

Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen said, “Any time at a mass gathering, you’d be worried about exposure.” People in the peaceful protests on Saturday afternoon “by and large” appeared to be wearing masks and maintaining social distance, Whalen said. The crowds on Saturday night, she said, were “more concerning.”

Second Chance Opportunities Inc. has “created a virtual community” to help people in recovery from substance use disorder who have been isolated during the pandemic.

Likening the uproar in Albany Saturday night to “being in battle,” Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said, “I was as close as I felt to being in a war zone in downtown Albany — gunfire going, fireworks. It was pretty crazy. I said, ‘Man, I feel like I’m back in Iraq.’”

Going forward, after announcing 24 more deaths the county had been unaware of, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said on Saturday, “The nursing home is supposed to be reaching out to us …. This should never happen again.”