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The original item was published from 3/19/2020 9:51:55 AM to 4/5/2020 12:00:01 AM.

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News & Town Board Reports (gblist)

Posted on: March 19, 2020

[ARCHIVED] updated local info on coronavirus-based on conversations with county, other local officials

If you click on to the full text you'll read summary of updated info on how coronavirus is impacting Westchester-- numbers of people who have been diagnosed positive in Westchester, lack of hospital beds.-food scraps can be dropped off at AF Veteran park

SUMMARY OF CONFERENCE CALL WITH COUNTY AND LOCAL OFFICIALS RE- CORONAVIRUS
AMENDMENT TO MY EXECUTIVE ORDER
 
Although all Town parks shall be closed for the use of any playing fields, basketball courts or playground facilities; vehicular access to such parks shall be permitted for parking to provide access to Town walking trails which remain open for public access and for the food scrap recycling program operating at Anthony F. Veteran Town Park.
7.      
I have frequent conference calls with the County Executive, local officials. The following are highlights from yesterday’s call re: Coronavirus.

  As of yesterday  a total of 538 people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.  380 were diagnosed the day before. Earlier this week the range was around 200.  This is mostly due to increased testing. 4,106 people have been tested in Westchester. About 13% of the people tested are positive. HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL DISTANCY.

Notification of positive cases is on about a 3 day delay. The process entails reporting results to State by the labs (limited by the number of allowed testing labs), informing those diagnosed, inputting data and advising the County, therefore individual results as reported to the County may not be as current as direct reports to the municipality and/or emergency service   

Yesterday  the Governor’s Executive Order removed authority from the County and municipalities to close businesses and any facilities. This includes all indoor portions of retail shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys which must be closed as of Thursday at 8:00 PM. This order also mandates all businesses to reduce staff by 50%.  The link to the Executive Order is here: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/no-2025-continuing-temporary-suspension-and-modification-laws-relating-disaster-emergency  

The Federal government has agreed to have the US Army Corps of Engineers assess sites for mobile hospitals and will assess unused buildings to repurpose as temporary hospital sites. The County is compiling a list of recommendations for large parking lots and buildings for that purpose.  The county is looking at possible new hospitals -temporary facilities. Checking out the closed Arrowwood Hotel, College of New Rochelle, parking lots.

NYS estimates that there are 53,000 beds available now. They anticipate that they will need 110,000 beds during the peak.
NYS estimates that there are 3000 ICU beds now. They may need 37,000 ICU beds - peak of coronavirus. As reported in the media there is a lack of ventilators.

Schools probably won’t open for balance of this year. 

County looking for retired doctors and nurses.  Older practitioners will not work on the front lines but will be welcome for other medically related work. 


The link to NYSAC’s memo for conducting meetings and public hearings is here:  https://www.nycom.org/images/documents/COVID19/COVID-19_NYCOM_Guidance_-_Meetings_and_Public_Hearings_-_March_18_2020.pdf.  
County Attorney John Nonna’s memo will follow.                                              
The protocol from the Westchester County Health Department for isolation can be reviewed here: https://health.westchestergov.com/images/stories/PDF/IsolationProtocolCOVID19.pdf
PAUL FEINER

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