WPCNR COVID DAILY APRIL 21: LOWER NUMBERS OF PEOPLE BEING TESTED COULD MEAN MORE SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF POSITIVES ARE OUT THERE. EACH PERSON TESTED POSITIVE APRIL 7 SPREAD THE COVID TO 7 PERSONS.

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COVID CASES RISING AT 278 A DAY—TRACKING TO TOP 2,000 CASES FOR WEEK. RAISES QUESTION MORE WESTCHESTER PERSONS SHOULD TEST.  4,973 AVERAGE TESTED DAILY IN 13 DAYS.

WPCNR COVID DAILY. From the New York State Covid Tracker. Analysis & Observation by John  F.Bailey. April 21, 2022:

From Sunday through Tuesday, Westchester County reported 238,273 and 321 new persons testing positive for covid . Tuesday’s result, showed a positive rate of 6% on 4,751 persons taking the tests.

The testing is voluntary with only those persons worried they might have the disease, apparently getting tested.

This raises the issue that many persons are not choosing to test which could possibly mean the more persons tested the higher number positives the county may actually have walking about, socializing, in the workplace, the restaurants and bars, on airplanes, or coming into the New York area not being tested.

In the past Westchester has tested upwards of 8,000 persons. On April 7, just 2 weeks ago, Westchester tested 8,774 persons and 397 persons tested positive. In recent days the testing quantities are sinking to very low levels. Last week, the 397 persons testing positive April 7 after 14 days infected as of Tuesday, 2,859 persons.

The 2,859 new infections in 14 days traced to that one day April 7,  computes to a spread rate for  each of those 397 persons one day on April spreading the covid disease to 7 persons over two weeks.

Yet, the Tracker reports show numbers of persons tested are dropping as most tests are now voluntary or home based.

Tests of Westchester residents through last 14 days FROM April 7 through August 19 are only averaging 5,000 a day the last 14 days and infected 7 persons per day, so conceivably if you tested more you would find more persons with covid than the 321 you had  an Tuesday when Westchester had 321. The Wednesday figure is due this after

April 19: 4,751

April 18: 3,380

April 17: 2,755

April 16, 3,937

April 15: 5,212

April 14: 5,191

April 13: 5,233

April 12: 5,152

April 11: 3,387

April 10: 3,586

April 9: 6,481

April 8: 6,815

April 7:  8,774

The average number of tests over those 13  days of 64,654 is 4,973 tests per day. If 8,000 tested, you conceivably could find 400 more new positives using the  mathematical calculation that 397 persons infected April 7 infected   7 other persons  (2,859)  the last 13 days.

There could be many more persons who have self-tested, or not tested at all, who are walking around with potential to spread the disease.

The 9 Mid-Hudson Counties, plus  Nassau and Suffolk  reported  1,573 Persons testing positive, up 345. Westchester County was up 48 new cases to 321 from 273 Monday.

The five New York City Boroughs doubled the number of positive cases from 1,823 Monday to  3,999 Tuesday, up 2,176 new covid cases.

The Biden Administration appealed the striking down of mask requirements on public transportation ruling made by a Federal Judge yesterday. New York Governor Kathy Hochul kept the masking requirement on transit in New York State pending the appeal being resolved.

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STATE OF PLAYLAND — 5 WEEKS BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY- 9 WEEKS BEFORE JULY 4TH WEEKEND.

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WPCNR PLAYLAND-GO-ROUND. PHOTO TOUR OF PLAYLAND CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS by John F. Bailey April 20, 2022:

The story so far: Construction on rehabilitating Playland by a county-selected contractor began in September shortly after Playland closed for the season, after the county had settled with Standard Amusements over the county contention that Standard had not fulfilled their contract.

The Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Drain had ruled in spring of 2021 the county and Standard Amusements had to negotiate an arrangement. The two parties settled their dispute with the county agreeing to pay $125 Million in Playland infrastructure improvements, and Standard Amusements taking over management of the park in January of this year.

The $125 Million the county is paying includes $40 million for a new family pool still under construction. Construction was begun in September on the infrastructure improvements . The county changed contractors in December because they deemed the work was progressing too slowly. Work has been progressing at a brisk pace through very tough cold and weather conditions.

How it looks this week:

WPCNR walked around the park last week and this is what WPCNR saw:

The Entrance: Interiors of the two entrance/admission structure on left, and the County Police/Administration building, featuring a new copper dome are barebones on the interior from what this reporter could observe.
The Fountain Plaza: Paving needs to be completed, and the Admissions building to the left is in first stages from what WPCNR observed of constructing the new interior.
The Family Pool: Side steps to left and interior construction of the bathhouses still ongoing.
Reverse angle from the Playland Pier showing current state of Bathhouse renovations.
Reverse angle of Administration Structure on left and Admissions Structure on right seen from The Ice Casino, which is in operation and no construction is planned for the Ice Casino at this time.
The Zombie Castle, the Dragon Coaster seen from the Boardwalk half way around the park from the Boardwalk. There has not been a walkthrough or detailed briefing of what is being done while construction is in progress, either by Westchester County Recreation & Parks, the County Communications Office or Standard Amusements or perhaps a combination of the three to describe the plans as to which of the old structures will go and what will stay and what is being done to the infrastructure and how it is either on schedule or how behind it is, and what new rides are coming in. Just a suggestion.
The Lake Pavilion: No construction seems in progress yet, but more to the point will the Lake Boat rides be resumed? Or a new “boat ride” be available to take patrons on a cruise around the islands. The former Steamboat is gone from the premises (perhaps it is just being restored).
The East End Collonades are in process of being restored from scratch. previous wood structure collonades were removed.
North to South Cross-Park Midway: It is under major renovation, formerly a midway devoted to games and the Old Mill Inn ride–what is being constructed there is unclear.
The Dragon Coaster: Wood is being replaced and restored. At this date it looks like painting as well as more replacement of support and horizontal wood timbers is to come. But we really do not know.
Back at the original entrance and Kiddyland: needs extensive retracking of the Playland Express below:
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WPCNR COVID DAILY APRIL 19,2022: COUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LATIMER: COVID INCREASING NUMBERS “NOT ENCOURAGING.” 5O HOSPITALIZATIONS FROM COVID.

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WPCNR COVID DAILY. From New York State Covid Tracker. Analysis and Comment by John F. Bailey. April 19, 2022 UPDATED 4:30 P.M. EDT;

Westchester County Executive George Latimer commenting on the state of the slow BUT steady growth in Westchester new covid cases the last 3 weeks, said on WVOX Dennis and Tonny, Good Morning Westchester program Westchester cases had numbered 900 three weeks ago and this week the county has 3,000 active cases with the number of hospitalizations gone up from 35 to 50 as of Monday.

“The numbers are rising. It is not encouraging,” Latimer said in his weekly radio address on WVOX. He said the county was not contemplating any mandates or restrictions to deal with the steady spread.

Sunday  the New York Covid Tracker  after spring break  reported 238 new covid cases in Westchester.

This afternoon, the Covid Tracker reported 273 more new persons positive for Covid in Westchester,

In the Mid-Hudson region consisting of Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, Sullivan and Putnam Counties, there were a total of  482 new covid cases Sunday. Covid Tracker reported 517 more tested positive Monday in the 7 counties.

The 9 county new covid cases surrounding New York City  when you include Nassau County Positives (404) and Suffolk (327)   totaled 1,213 on Sunday on Monday the 9 totaled 1,228 more.

In New York City the total new cases in all 5 boroughs was 1,505. If that 1500 daily keeps up through this week, NYC will have as many as 9,000 new cases of covid this week. With New York City Schools coming back to classes next week and masks over the age of 5, not required in schools, and the 2 persons for every one person newly infected by the disease, covid infections may be considerably more.

The state has much better data at its command to determine the rate of spread of the virus makes from one infected person to another, but does not figure that highly significant ratio of spread. They should.

The amount of testing on Easter Sunday in Westchester County was very low, only 2,755 tests reported and 238 persons were positive on a holiday Sunday that was 9.2 % on the low test numbers. Unless there is more testing and more metrics put out showing what infections two weeks ago will result in, all WPCNR can rely on are the new testing positives compared with the infections two weeks ago.

This is a crucial week. If students coming back to school in Westchester show more positive cases, and not all school districts are automatically testing students at the door this week, (in fact we do not know any that are adapting a pre-emptive testing).  We should know by the end of the week school district by school district based on the State School Covid Tracker. As reported in a previous Covid Daily the number of student covid positives in Westchester alone stood at 23,830.

LOCATIONS WHERE NEW INFECTIONS ARE OVER 100 ACTIVE CASES LAST TWO WEEKS

  1. YONKERS–627-– 48 New Cases Daily
  2. NEW ROCHELLE–384 — 8 New Daily
  3. WHITE PLAINS–303–14 New A Day
  4. NEW & NORTH CASTLE–233 –27 New Daily
  5. GREENBURGH 211–13 NEW A DAY
  6. YORKTOWN–208 –23 NEW DAILY
  7. MOUNT VERNON-189–19 NEW DAILY
  8. RYE CITY, RYE BROOK-–185–10 A DAY
  9. HARRISON–176–9 A DAY
  10. MOUNT PLEASANT-166–13 NEW A DAY
  11. CORTLANDT–151–14 A DAY
  12. OSSINING VILLAGE & TOWN–135–15 A DAY
  13. SCARSDALE–131–11 NEW A DAY
  14. TARRYTOWNS–130–10 NEW A DAY
  15. EASTCHESTER–126— 8 NEW A DAY
  16. SOMERS 131 –11 NEW DAILY
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COVID INFECTIONS SLOWLY GROWING: 2,027 NEW COVID CASES IN WESTCHESTER IN SPRING BREAK WEEK–283 AVERAGE A DAY 16 MOST COVID-ACTIVE COMMUNITIES AVERAGE 212 ACTIVE CASES, 20 NEW CASES DAILY

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WPNR COVID DAILY From the New York Covid Tracker.  Observations & Analysis by John F. Bailey. 9:15 A.M.. EDT: April 18, 2022 :

Westchester County went over 2,000 new cases of Covid in the last 7 days April 10 through 16.

This parallels the rise in covid  to the 2,000 plus levels the county experienced beginning the third week in December 5 months ago. That pre-holiday rise foreshadowed the levels of 26,002 new cases in mid-January which declined into February.

In the last three weeks, preceding the Passover, Easter and Ramadan holidays, Westchester has recorded 1,095 new cases March 27 to April 2 (up 27% in that week. From Apriil 3 to 9, the new cases hit 1,895  up 73%.

In the last week, when schools were on vacation in Westchester, with Saturday new cases reported at 273, Westchester new cases climbed to 2,027 April 10 through 16, increasing 7% from last week.

Last week, 6 days before Easter Sunday,  new infections averaged 289 new positives a day.

Around the County cases on the County city and town Covid Tracker the worry spots in the county continued to be the larger cities and towns, but cases were up in numbers through most of the county. Here’s a look at where Westchester stands in Active cases, and average daily new cases:

THE 16 MOST COVID ACTIVE AREAS IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY LAST TWO WEEKS

  1. Yonkers 576 Active Cases. 67 New Cases Daily
  2. New Rochelle,  396 Active Cases, 34 New Daily
  3. White Plains, 333 Active Cases, 28 New Daily
  4. Mamaroneck Village, Mamaroneck Town, Larchmont, 219 Active Cases, 25 Daily
  5. New and North Castles, 212 Active Cases, 15 New Daily
  6.  Greenburgh, 197 Active Cases, 15 New Cases Daily
  7. Yorktown, 189 Active Cases, Averaging 22 New Cases A Day
  8. Mt. Vernon, 179 Active Cases, 21 New a Day
  9. Harrison, 170 Active Cases, 11 New Daily
  10. Rye City and Rye Brook, 162 Active Cases, 12 New a Day
  11. Scarsdale, 134, 12 New Daily
  12. The Ossinings, 133 Active Cases, 11 New A Day
  13. Eastchester, 127 Active Cases, 9 New Reported Daily
  14. The Tarrytowns 124 Cases, 10 New A Day
  15. Somers, 126 Active Cases, 11 New a Day
  16. Cortlandt, 125 Active Cases, 12 New Daily

It is significant to remember that those are new active cases over two weeks and perhaps have spread the disease without knowing it to others.

The average Spread infection rate from the 1095 new cases in the County from March 27 to  April 2 is figured by dividing the cases 10 to 14 days ago into the latest week cases  (2,027 cases this past week April 9 to 16 divided by the 1,095 cases two weeks ago) .

That gives us a Spread Rate of 1 newly infected person March 27 to April 2, infecting 1.83 persons or 2 persons. That is growing..

If the 2,027 positive last week spread covid at the same spread rate over the next 10 to 14 days Westchester could conceivably have 4,054 new infections of covid  the end of the week of April 30.

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EASTER SUNDAY SPLENDID

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Dawn at 5: 45 Breaking in the East this morning.
White Plains Easter Sunrise Service this morning at dawn with Reverend Timothy Dalton leading the traditional observance. Service begins.

WPCNR THE EASTER SUNDAY BAILEY. Impressions of past, present and future by John F. Bailey. April 17, 2022:

After a stormy windy rainy night, dawn broke through clear blue skies this Easter Sunday in White Plains New York USA.

It conjured up my little boyhood memories, of waking up in my parents’ home off Bear Ridge Road in Pleasantville, picking up my Easter Basket with the green paper grass in it and bounding downstairs in my pajamas with the feet in them joining my sisters, Suzanne and Phyllis seeking hidden Easter Candy delivered by “Peter Cottontail.”

Days leading up to Easter I’d spin Gene Autry on an old Golden Record, singing “Here Comes Peter Cottontail hopping down the Bunny Trail, Hippity Hop,Easter’s on its Way.”

There were yellow candy chicks hidden behind furniture, chocolate bunnies standing up looking up at you in plain site, chocolate eggs behind photographs of the past , jelly beans, sugar coated bars and the occasional marshmellow-filled bunny with a coated of thin chocolate. My mother made pancakes for breakfast. Dad read the paper while mom cooked.

After a late breakfast we went to church at the Old Presbyterian Church on Bedford Road as a family.

I wore a jacket and tie, my father and mother dressed their Sunday finest and I went to church being the oldest child while the sisters went to their Sunday School classes. The Congregation sang the Easter hymns, that had a robust uplifting cadence, “Onward Christian Soldiers,” “Jesus Christ is Risen Today,” and they made you feel so good. You felt the hope that the Easter Sunday brings fitting with the spring.

In the afternoon my mother and father who grew up in Pleasantive took us all to Grandmother’s House on Sunnyside Avenue. A tall no-nonsense Old School Grandmother, she would prepare the entire Sunday Dinner herself in the tiniest kitchen with gas stove, and the smallest counterspace any cook had to work with.

She prepared Leg of Lamb, with mint sauce, asparagus, mashed potatoes creamed potatoes, peas and corn and pie. All the aunts and uncles and cousins were expected to attend. My grandmother Gertrude Pinneo considered family attendance on Easter Sunday a mandatory function by all in the family. Oh, and the smaller kids always sat at a “Kid’s Table,” during dinner. Eventually when we became old enough we graduated to the adults table (a big day when this happened for the first time)

When I was very young, my Great Grandfather at a very advanced age I can still see him in a rocker in the living room furnished in art deco style old candlestick phone in the corner, high backed chairs desk in the living room with a warm blanket over his knees, observing the socializing, highlight by my Grandmother’s signature hors d’oeuvres. Ritz crackers with peanut butter, sweet relish cottage cheese with a sweet gherkin pickle on top.

When I grew older, and was playing trombone in the Pleasantville High School Military Band, the leader of the band, Wilbur Lockwood, teacher of music at Pleasantville High, a member of the Presbyterian Church, assembled a brass ensemble of trumpets, trombones and clarinets and flutes to play at sunrise services on top of Flag Hill in Pleasantville. (Of course my parents had to drive me there). The sound of the instruments playing those old time hymns of joy resounded from the heights on the west side of Pleasantville in the crisp air are one of the experiences I never regret participating in.

That is why I attend the First Baptist Church Sunrise Service every year at the highest spot in White Plains.

It was crisp and cold this morning I drove over. The attentive crowd of about 30 or so persons, shivering in the 42 degree weather on a chill, invigorating morning listened to the Reverend Timothy Dalton leading the ceremony with Worship Minister, Matthew Perez. You can see the service in the video at the top of this story highlight by the most magnificent sun appearance.

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