RyeCity REVIEW THE
March 19, 2021 | Vol. 9, Number 11 | www.ryecityreview.com
Cuomo resumes weddings at 50% capacity
Garnets grab gold On March 13, the Rye girls basketball team won the Southern Westchester championship with a 59-57 victory over Byram Hills. The Garnets finished the pandemic-shortened season with a record of 12-2. For story, see page 16. Photo/Mike Smith
Vaccine distribution hits 100,000 milestone A new milestone in COVID-19 vaccine administration was surpassed yesterday when Catalina Restrepo of Valley Cottage received the 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine dose to be administered at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, a New York Mass Vaccination site. The Westchester Medical Center Health Network, WMCHealth, has been collaborating with New York State and Westchester County at the Westchester County Center since vaccination operations began here in January. WMCHealth workforce members
including clinicians, pharmacists, data analysts and others are working in tandem with hundreds of volunteers to ensure all those eligible to receive the vaccine do so in a safe and efficient manner. WMCHealth partners with VolunteerNY on Westchester County Center volunteer recruitment, training and scheduling. As the coordinator for the Hudson Valley Region Hub of the New York State Regional Vaccine Network, WMCHealth is leading the Hudson Valley’s largest-ever collaboration of healthcare providers and logistics effort to ensure the safe,
equitable and efficient distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine across Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan counties. In addition, WMCHealth launched the 75-member Health Equity Task Force, with members meeting weekly to identify vaccine access and distribution barriers and develop solutions to remove them, particularly impediments that affect underserved communities. Vaccine Eligibility and Access For more information on eligibility and mass vaccination sites please visit: Am-I-Eligible.COVID19Vaccine.Health.
NY.gov, or call the New York State Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4VAX (1-833-69748290). Earlier this month, WMCHealth debuted an interactive directory to assist Hudson Valley residents with accessing COVID-19 vaccinations, the only resource of this type available in the region. The map is available as part of the WMCHealth online resource https:// COVIDInfo.WMCHealth.org/ Vaccination that includes a wide variety of information about vaccine eligibility, safety and efficacy, as well as COVID care and treatments. (Submitted)
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on March 15 that wedding receptions and catered events can now resume statewide. All venues hosting weddings and catered events must follow the state’s strict health and safety protocols, including the following requirements: Venues are restricted to 50% capacity, with no more than 150 attendees per event All attendees must have proof of recent negative test result or proof of immunization prior to the event Sign-in with contact information required to assist with potential contact tracing Venues must notify local health departments of large events, above the social gathering limit, in advance Masks will be required at all times except when seated and eating or drinking Ceremonial and socially-distanced dancing allowed in designated areas “New Yorkers have remained resilient throughout this entire pandemic, and the numbers show how effective our behavior has been in stopping the spread of this virus,” Cuomo said. “As the state’s positivity and hospitalization numbers continue to decline and we ramp up vaccinations, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer and we can fo-
cus on safely reopening different sectors of our economy without compromising the progress we’ve made. Weddings and catered events will now be allowed to resume across the state, with strict protocols in place to protect the health and safety of New Yorkers. This is great news - but we must continue with the practices that we know work to defeat this virus once and for all.” The reopening of wedding receptions and other catered events builds on the governor’s recent measures to further reopen the economy amid a steady decline in New York’s COVID-19 positivity and hospitalization rates. Effective March 19, New York City indoor dining will expand to 50% capacity and the rest of New York State will increase to 75% capacity for indoor dining. On Feb. 15, the Cuomo announced the MTA will partially restore overnight service on the New York City Subway. On Feb. 14, the Cuomo issued an executive order extending closing times to 11 p.m. statewide for restaurants, bars, gyms and fitness centers, casinos, billiards halls and any other location with an SLA license. The governor also announced beginning April 2, event, arts and entertainment venues can reopen at 33% capacity, up to 100 people indoors and up to 200 people outdoors. (Submitted)