RyeCity REVIEW THE
March 27, 2020 | Vol. 7, Number 63 | www.ryecityreview.com
Cuomo prepares state for COVID-19 surge
Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched the “NY Stronger Together” campaign urging New Yorkers to stay home, stop the spread and save lives. As part of the campaign, celebrities including Robert De Niro, Danny DeVito, Ben Stiller and La La Anthony have sent videos of themselves at home to reinforce the governor’s message that young people must stay home not for themselves, but to help protect older and more vulnerable New Yorkers.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced an initial delivery of hospital supplies to the Jacob K. Javits Center where FEMA has started to build a 1,000-bed temporary hospital that will help increase New York’s hospital capacity to combat COVID-19 and open next week. This is in addition to the four sites selected by the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers that will create temporary hospitals in downstate New York with total capacity of up to 4,000. The federal administration has deployed 339,760 N-95 masks, 861,700 surgical masks, 353,300 gloves, 145,122 gowns and 197,085 face shields to New York State, with many state supplies already located at the Javits Center. The governor also announced that three former secretaries to the governor—Steve Cohen, Bill Mulrow and Larry Schwartz— are joining the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force. Mulrow and Cohen will be tasked with developing a “NYS Forward Plan”—a strategy to restart the economy following the “NYS on Pause” executive order. Schwartz is tasked with
helping the state acquire healthcare equipment and supplies and increasing New York’s hospital surge capacity. On Tuesday, March 24, Gov. Cuomo signed an executive order requiring all hospitals to increase capacity by a minimum of 50 percent, with a goal of increasing capacity by 100 percent. To support hospital surge capacity, the Cuomo also announced the State Department of Financial Services is requesting that health insurers disclose the number of nurses, doctors and other health professionals they employ so the state can reach out to those employees and ask them to temporarily serve in the medical field during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Cuomo also announced that the FDA has approved the use of a new experimental drug in New York on a compassionate care basis to help treat patients with COVID-19. The trial will use antibody injections to help stimulate and promote individuals’ immune systems against the virus. The federal government has agreed to cover 100 percent of the
cost for the National Guard. Separately, the governor has also requested 100 percent federal cost share under New York’s major disaster declaration that was approved on Friday, March 20. Additionally, it was announced that the state is opening a drive-thru COVID-19 mobile testing facility in the Bronx. This follows the success of the mobile testing centers in New Rochelle, Rockland County, Staten Island and Long Island in addition to the Bronx. Drive-through mobile testing facilities help keep people who are sick or at risk of having contracted coronavirus out of healthcare facilities where they could infect other people. New York is currently testing more than 16,000 people per day, more than any other state and more than China and South Korea on a per capital basis. The governor also launched the “NY Stronger Together” campaign urging New Yorkers to stay home, stop the spread and save lives. As part of the campaign, celebrities including Robert De Niro, Danny DeVito, Ben Stiller and La La Anthony have sent videos of themselves at
home to reinforce the governor’s message that young people must stay home not for themselves, but to help protect older and more vulnerable New Yorkers. The campaign will also aim to highlight donations from major corporations, celebrities, philanthropic organizations to help increase the state’s supply capacity. “We know that the most effective way to reduce the rate of spread of the virus is to reduce density and increase testing, and we have a plan in place to do just that,” Cuomo said. «We›ve taken every action that government can take to reduce density and we are testing more than any other state in country, and now we must focus on increasing our hospital capacity and our supply stockpile as quickly as we can to ensure our healthcare system is prepared to handle the apex of the wave. We also still have issues with density control, especially in New York City, and we are continuing to encourage all New Yorkers to think of others and stay inside as much as possible to protect our most vulnerable populations. (Submitted)
County updated on COVID-19 measures being taken Recognizing the vital service the Bee-Line bus system provides to Westchester County, and the imperative need to protect the drivers of these buses, County Executive George Latimer is directing that starting Monday, March 23 all passengers must now enter and exit buses from the rear-door. The new policy is the latest action taken by Latimer to protect frontline employees from COVID-19, and stop the spread. Additionally, the first three rows of seats on all fixed route transit buses will be roped off in an effort to further distance the passengers from drivers. Special accommodations will be made for handicapped passengers. As of Friday, March 20, the municipalities with the highest number of confirmed positives in Westchester are: 1. New Rochelle 223 2. Yonkers 145 3. Mount Vernon 70 4. White Plains 54 5. Greenburgh 43 6. Scarsdale 35 7. Eastchester 31 8. Port Chester 28 9. Cortlandt 25 10. Harrison 26 • The Westchester County Center is being prepared as a temporary hospital to house patients. This move will provide relief to overcrowded hospitals should the need arise. · Westchester County Economic Development team is researching loans and grant programs for small business devastated by the shutdown of their businesses, communicating information through local chambers of commerce. For more information visit https:// westchestercatalyst.com/coronavirus-updates/. What is essential service? The governor laid out which businesses are considered “essential” but it also describes the process for requesting an exemption from the workforce reduction executive order. https:// esd.ny.gov/guidance-execu-
tive-order-2026 • Here in Westchester we set up a 2-1-1 hotline with the United Way to provide answers for Westchester residents with questions concerning coronavirus. The New York State hotline for testing requests is 888.364.3065; the Westchester County hotline is 866.588.0195. • The county has set up an email address, COVID19FAQ@ westchestergov.com, to respond to inquiries. This is another option to the hotline. Responses can be sent in English or Spanish. Emails will receive an auto-reply stating their message has been received and they should expect a response within 24 hours. Then it has info about our hotline and then links to county, state and Centers for Disease Control websites. The emails are answered by county Department of Social Services, DSS. • Westchester County Parks remain open for individual use and exercise, including county golf courses. Social distancing must be practiced. No active team sports allowed. • Westchester County has implemented child care services at local elementary schools with school districts to assist during closure of all school districts. Please reach out to local districts for more information as this is evolving. • Westchester County has developed its food distribution plan in consultation with our school districts, the Westchester Child Care Council and our community based organizations for children who already receive lunch at school. Please reach out to local districts for more information as this is evolving. • Westchester County Department of Social Services is working directly with low-income residents as individuals lose jobs and require benefits for their families; VIRUS continued on page 5