Hits: 263

” GOOD MORNING DENNIS AND TONNY FROM WHITE PLAINS NY USA WHERE ITS 72 CLOUDY WPCNR DEGREES.

“WHITE PLAINS IS READY, POISED FOR OPENING OUR SCHOOLS SEPTEMBER 9,.

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS DR. JOSEPH RICCA TOLD ME THIS WILL BE A FULL TILT OPENING WITH MASK WEARING REQUIRED BY ALL STUDENTS IN GRADES K THROUGH 12 WITH CAREFUL ACCESS TO SCHOOLS BY NON STUDENTS AND STAFF.

IF YOU’RE A PARENT OR PERSON WANTING TO VISIT THE SCHOOLS YOU HAVE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT IN ADVANCE AND OF COURSE MASK-UP. SOCIAL DISTANCING WILL BE OBSERVED IN THE SCHOOLS AND THERE WILL BE EXTENSIVE TESTING AS NEEDED.

STUDENTS WILL NOT BE TESTED ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. HE REPORTED THAT PARENTS ARE (WITHOUT BEING ASKED) ADVISING THEIR SCHOOLS THAT THEIR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN VACCINATED. THIS, (RICCA SAID IS A GREAT ADVANTAGE TO THE SCHOOL BECAUSE SHOULD A STUDENT BE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID IN A CLASS THE SCHOOLS WOULD KNOW WHICH STUDENTS (UNVACCINATED) TO TEST FOR COVID FIRST SHOULD AN INFECTION DEVELOP.

HE SAID THE TESTING THE SCHOOLS WOULD USE IS THE SALIVA TEST WHICH IS A FAST READ TEST AND NON-EVASIVE

. HE SAID INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS WOULD BE PLAYED WITH MASKING. HE SAID THE SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAM WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL AND THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF PARENTS SENT STUDENTS TO SUMMER SCHOOL FOR REMEDIAL WORK WHO WERE NOT REQUIRED TO GO. RICCA SAID IT IS POSSIBLE WHITE PLAINS WOULD CONTINUE THIS VOLUNTARY SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAM NEXT YEAR.

WHITE PLAINS WILL RUN ATHLETICS THIS FALL AS USUAL WITH MASKING FOR THE CONTACT SPORTS OUTSIDE. HE SAID A FEW ATHLETES COMPETING LAST YEAR DID TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID BUT VERY FEW IN NUMBER.

DRAMATICS. PERFORMING ARTS AND AUDIENCE ACTIVITY PROTOCOLS FOR SEATING ARE STILL BEING WORKED OUT.

HE COMPLIMENTED THE ENTIRE TEACHING, ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND THE PARENTS OF WHITE PLAINS FOR MAKING THE REOPENING PROGRAM OF LAST SPRING SUCCESSFUL. LAST YEAR 439 STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND STAFF CAUGHT COVID, 4-1/2% OF THE ENTIRE SCHOOL POPULATION OF STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF OF APPROXIMATELY 8,400 .

HE SAID STUDENTS WERE VERY COOPERATIVE IN  WEARING MASKS ALL YEAR LONG, AND SAID THE MAJORITY OF POSITIVE COVID CASES WERE ENCOUNTERED IN SOCIAL GATHERINGS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL.

HE SAID THERE WOULD BE MORE TESTING OF STAFF AND FACULTY THIS YEAR THAN LAST. HE SAID 80% OF THE FACULTY AND STAFF WERE VACCINATED BY THE SPRING REOPENING LAST YEAR FOR ALL STUDENTS AND SAID THERE ARE MORE THAN THAT VACCINATED NOW GOING INTO THE OPENING.

TOMORROW ON SEPTEMBER 1 THERE WILL BE A PANEL WITH DOCTOR RICCA AND DR. RACHEL GOLDMAN AND DR. PETER RICHEL ON ISSUES AND QUESTIONS VIA ZOOM SPONSORED BY THE NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL AT 7 PM. FOR THE LINK GO TO THE WHITE PLAINS LIBRARY WEBSITE.

THERE WERE 1,517 NEW CASES FOR THE LAST 7 DAYS SUNDAY THROUGH SUNDAY IN WESTCHESTER 217 NEW PERSONS A DAY TESTED POSITIVE OF  48,454 TESTED AN INFECTION RATE FOR THE 7 DAYS OF 3.5%.

HOSPITALIZATIONS SATURDAY ACCORDING TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LATIMER IN HIS COVID BRIEFING, WERE UP TO 108 COMPARED TO 84 LAST WEEK. THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE SAID THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE CASES WERE EVEN LAST WEEK. HE SAID VACCINATIONS LAST WEEK WERE 1,100 AT THE COUNTY CENTER WHICH MR. LATIMER EXPECTS WILL BE GOING UP. HE ENCOURAGED VACCINATIONS. WITH THE GREAT WEATHER JUST FORECAST FOR THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND.

WE ENCOURAGE TO SOCIALIZE AND BEACH RESPONSIBLY. COVID’S OUT THERE BUT THE BIG POSITIVE OF THE TALE COVID STATS TELL THIS WEEK IS THE WESTCHESTER SPREAD RATE HAS RETURNED BELOW 1 PERSON INFECTED FOR EVERY 1 PERSON INFECTED TWO WEEKS AGO. JUST ABOUT 1:1 SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. IT WAS A TIE WITH COVID LAST WEEK. NOT GROWING NOT DECREASING IN CASES WHICH IS A GOOD THING BUT IT’S UP TO YOU MR. AND MRS. AND MS. WESTCHESTER.”

“DON’T FORGET THE JAZZ FESTIVAL IN ITS 10TH YEAR BEGINS WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 8 WITH BRAZILIAN JAZZ DURING THE FARMERS MARKET. TO SEE THE COMPLETE SCHEDULE GO TO WESTCHESTERARTS.ORG