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WPCNR CORONA VIRUS REPORT From Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner. April 7, 2020:

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner issued an Emergency order earlier imposing health and safety requirements on all grocery stores (supermarkets) and pharmacies located within the town of Greenburgh.  

The law applies to businesses other than restaurants which have more than 1,000 square feet of space in which food is sold to the public (other than restaurants.  At the special Town Board work session on April 7th at 6:30 PM the Town Board unanimously approved a resolution support the emergency order.

     (a) establish at least one hour a day during which the store is open only to customers over 60 years of age who do not exhibit COVID-19 health conditions; 

     (b) limit the number of customers allowed in the store at any one time to a reasonable number, given the size of the store, to accommodate the CDC-recommended 6 foot physical distancing; 

    (c) mark six-foot distancing lines outside the entrance to the store and at check-out counters, provide sufficient personnel to remind customers to observe such markings, and provide appropriate signage of the distance markings;    

    (d) provide hand sanitizers and/or fresh, unused gloves and, if available, face masks for each employee each day, and require them to be used while working, and post COVID-19 health safety guidelines, including re hand washing, for employees; 

    (e) provide either fresh, unused gloves or sanitizing wipes to customers prior to entering the store;

    (f) if the store has carts for customer use, wipe the cart handles between use by different customers; 

and 

    (g) provide a receptacle at all exits outside the store for the disposal of gloves and masks, labelled “used masks and gloves”, and, if feasible, establish one-way aisles inside the store and separate entrances/exits for customers.

         The Police Department and Building Department are authorized to enforce this Local Emergency Order 1.1 in the following manner:   

For the first violation, the Police or Building Department shall issue a Notice of Violation.   For any subsequent violations, the Police or Building Department shall issue a Summons alleging a Class B misdemeanor as provided in Section 24(5) of the New York State Executive Law.    The Town shall cause the names of those businesses to be posted on the Town website, which posting shall remain until the Chief of Police or Building Commissioner determines that the violation has been rectified.

      This Local Emergency Order 1.1 shall become effective at 6:00 am, Friday, April 10, 2020.  The statute orders have to be renewed or amended or extended every five days.

       Given (a) the recent CDC research indicating that the vast majority of transmissions of the COVID-19 virus occur from symptomatic individuals, (b) the temperature-taking safety practice instituted by the retailers WalMart and Sam’s Club, and (c) the New York policy of responsibility of not exposing others to the COVID-19 virus,  Notice is hereby given that it is my present intent, if I determine circumstances require this Order to be extended, to provide in the extended Order that grocery stores and pharmacies adopt the safety practice of non-invasive temperature taking of employees upon arrival at work and not allowing any individual with a temperature higher than the CDC guideline of 100.4F/38C to work.   Notice is also given that Supervisor Feiner is additionally considering providing in the extended Order that grocery stores and pharmacies use non-invasive devices to take the temperatures of customers before they enter the store.   He welcomes input on these safety practices, or alternative safety measures, from grocery stores and pharmacies and from residents.

      I plan to contact the Governor’s office and Health departments and will likely require the non invasive temperature requirement next week when the order is extended unless I receive written notification from them that this cannot be done.