RyeCity REVIEW THE
September 11, 2020 | Vol. 8, Number 38 | www.ryecityreview.com
Let’s eat! Restaurants and diners across the Hudson Valley are gearing up for Time to Dine. For more, see page 6.
Photo / Andrés Medina
Potential COVID-19 exposure in Pleasantville The Westchester County Department of Health has been notified that two priests and a staff member at Holy Innocents Catholic Church, located at 431 Bedford Road in Pleasantville, have tested positive for COVID-19. The two individuals have potentially exposed many people over four days of services. Anyone who attended the following services must quarantine, as required by the New York State Department of Health, for 14 days (regardless of a negative COVID-19 test) from that last visit to the church during these days:
• Aug. 24 – Morning mass • Aug. 25 – Morning mass • Aug. 29 – First Communion ceremonies and all masses • Aug. 30 – All masses Testing is being conducted at Phelps Hospital, located at 701 N. Broadway in Sleepy Hollow from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Patient are asked to drive towards the Emergency Department, locate the signs for the testing tent. Stay in your car and drive in that direction until you reach the site. Patients will identify themselves as part of the church cluster for testing. No appointment is necessary.
Contacts of contacts, meaning secondary exposed people, are currently not at risk and do not have to quarantine. The county is currently working closely with the church, the Archdiocese of New York, the Pleasantville School District and the village and will continue to update the public as information becomes available. The New York State Department of Health has set up a hotline at (888) 3643065 where Department of Health experts will be available to answer questions regarding COVID-19. (Submitted)
COVID-19 Hotline numbers for the public: People under self-quarantine and medical providers seeking information: (866) 588-0195 People inquiring about testing: (888) 364-3065 General Information: Call 211
State offers sports guidelines to restart By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor After months of discussions, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association officially announced its return to play guidelines on Sept. 4. On Friday afternoon, the NYSPHSAA released a 49-page document with instructions for member schools on how to take the field this fall while complying with state Department of Health guidelines and mitigating the risk of COVID-19 spread. The document reiterated that the final decision on athletic participation will rest with each individual school district. On Aug. 24, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced that low-to-medium risk high school fall sports could begin on Sept. 21, while sports designated as “highrisk”—including football and volleyball—could start practices on that date but would not be permitted to schedule games until further guidance from the state. Friday’s guideline maintained those same dates, although it should be noted that Section I officials voted to push back the start of the fall sports season until Sept. 29. The document also provided further instructions regarding other safety issues facing sports. According to the guidelines, athletes participating in sports where it is not possible to maintain six feet of social distance from teammates and opponents must wear face coverings at all times, although accommodations will be made when the player is “unable to tolerate a face covering for physical activity.” Coaches and trainers will also be required to wear face cover-
ings at all times, as will athletes on the sidelines. Coaches are also encouraged to limit a team’s gameday roster in order to abide by social distancing guidelines for the sidelines. The NYSPHSAA has also deemed that celebratory contact with one’s teammates and coaches—including fist bumps, handshakes and hugs—will not permitted. In addition to regulating onfield behavior, the document outlined protocol for attendees. According to the NYSPHSAA, each athlete is allowed no more than two spectators at each contest, and fans will be compelled to wear masks in all public spaces. Members of the media will be permitted to attend games but must comply with the rules set forth by each school district in order to do so. With the state guidelines in place, it is now up to each of New York state’s 11 sections to decide how to move forward. Section IX, which oversees public schools in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties, announced last week that they plan to vote on a fall sports return date at a meeting on Sept. 10, with some believing that section officials will push back the start to Nov. 1. Section I officials promised to revisit their re-start options after these guidelines were handed down by the state. In a Sept. 3 memo, the Executive Committee of Section I said it would “Reconvene before Sept. 29, and in conjunction with the Athletic Council and Section I COVID Task Force, will continue to examine the data and guidance available while planning the best path forward for Section One student-athletes.” CONTACT: sports@hometwn.com
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