WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. June 5, 2020:

This summer, Westchester County will be opening four public pools. On Friday, June 26 Saxon Woods Pool in White Plains and Sprain Ridge Pool in Yonkers will open followed by Willson Woods Pool in Mount Vernon and Tibbetts Brook Pool in Yonkers on July 3 – all with some slight modifications to help ensure safety in the age of Covid-19.

Modifications include:

·         No Aqua Playground at Saxon Woods Pool.

·         No Aqua Splash Pad at Sprain Ridge Pool

·         No Waves in the Wave Pool or Aqua Playground/Splash Pad at Willson Woods Pool

·         No Lazy River Tubes, Aqua Playground, Water Slides or Basketball Court at Tibbetts Brook Park Pool.

To further ensure safety, the pools will follow New York State and Westchester County Department of Health regulations of 50% maximum occupancy. The pools will be first come first serve entry with two public pool sessions throughout the day.

·         Open Session 1: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

·         Clean/Disinfect: 2 p.m.-3 p.m.

·         Open Session 2: 3 p.m.-6 p.m.

·         Clean/Disinfect:  6 p.m.-7 p.m.     

When Session 1 tickets are sold out, Session 2 tickets will go on sale to remaining patrons. When session 2 ticket are sold out no more tickets will be sold for that day. No rainchecks, re-entry or refunds.

Westchester County Department of Public Safety and Parks staff will posted at entrances informing guests if session is sold out prior to parking.

Also, Parks staff will make announcement every half hour reminding guests to use all proper social distancing guidelines and guests must wear a mask or face covering anytime they are closer than 6’ from any other guest. Masks will be required to enter restrooms.

This summer the County will not be opening Playland Pool. Based on NYS guidelines, swimming pools must be closed if they are near a beach front. During this time, the County will be exploring how quickly renovations to the pool can be completed with the hope that it will be able to open in June 2021. This exact timeline is not yet known.

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WPCNR WEDNESDAY GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING. From the Governor’s Press Office. June 3, 2020:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced outdoor dining at restaurants will be permitted in phase two of reopening.

Restaurants in the seven regions that have already entered phase two – the Capital Region, Central New York, the Finger Lakes, the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, the Southern Tier and Western New York – can reopen for outdoor dining beginning tomorrow, June 4th.

Outdoor tables must be spaced six feet apart, all staff must wear face coverings and customers must also wear face coverings when not seated.

Governor Cuomo also announced that Erie County is now eligible to resume elective surgeries and ambulatory care. The Governor previously announced that the state will allow elective outpatient treatments to resume in counties and hospitals without significant risk of COVID-19 surge in the near term, and a total of 52 counties can now resume elective surgeries (4 counties do not have hospitals).

“COVID-19 is still a real threat and we’re still battling it. I know it’s not on the front pages today, but it is still in people and in society,” Governor Cuomo said. “But thanks to the people of New York and the nurses, doctors and essential workers, today we have the lowest number of hospitalizations ever and we have the lowest death toll ever. We are continuously evaluating activities that can be safely reopened, and today we are adding outdoor seating at restaurants to phase two.”

The Governor also confirmed 1,045 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 374,085 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 374,085 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	1,920	20
Allegany	49	1
Broome	589	11
Cattaraugus	90	1
Cayuga	96	3
Chautauqua	89	3
Chemung	137	0
Chenango	133	0
Clinton	97	0
Columbia	399	8
Cortland	41	0
Delaware	82	0
Dutchess	3,951	15
Erie	6,234	61
Essex	38	0
Franklin	23	0
Fulton	213	1
Genesee	202	0
Greene	241	0
Hamilton	5	0
Herkimer	113	2
Jefferson	74	0
Lewis	20	0
Livingston	120	1
Madison	319	2
Monroe	3,048	59
Montgomery	94	1
Nassau	40,644	72
Niagara	1,067	19
NYC	204,872	495
Oneida	1,058	9
Onondaga	2,256	28
Ontario	215	6
Orange	10,460	11
Orleans	246	5
Oswego	112	2
Otsego	73	0
Putnam	1,264	2
Rensselaer	495	2
Rockland	13,259	36
Saratoga	489	5
Schenectady	701	5
Schoharie	51	0
Schuyler	12	0
Seneca	60	1
St. Lawrence	206	1
Steuben	243	1
Suffolk	40,062	82
Sullivan	1,393	1
Tioga	133	2
Tompkins	165	1
Ulster	1,701	5
Warren	256	1
Washington	238	1
Wayne	120	4
Westchester	33,691	58
Wyoming	87	1
Yates	39	0

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. June 1, 2030:

Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced today the formation of the Westchester County Reopening Task Force – a group charged with working to find solutions to advance the interests of local businesses in a post-coronavirus economy.

Latimer said: “What we have here is a group of individuals who have served in a variety of capacities, to serve in this particular capacity, to help organize our efforts to reach out to the businesses of Westchester County and do everything we can to help them reopen as fast as possible and as successfully as possible.”

This task force will provide guidance to the County as it works through the four phases of reopening and help ensure that businesses in each phase have what they need to reopen safely and successfully.

The task force is co-chaired by Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker, a former small business owner and past President, Rye Chamber of Commerce, and Louis Lanza, a restaurateur with businesses in Westchester County. Both bring deep expertise and broad connections which will enable the task force to maximize its impact.

Parker said: “I see this reopening task force as a unified voice for all different sectors of business in Westchester County with the ‘rock stars’ of those sectors. This will be a way to get Westchester back to where we were – and even better than before.”

Lanza said: “Restaurants are working ahead of the curve in getting ready everything they will need to do to open. We can do this safely. There are safe ways of running our businesses and once we get the go ahead, we can safely reopen and serve our customers.”

Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ben Boykin said: “This is an important challenge. We are in a place we have never been before and we must reopen in a more vibrant and smarter way so businesses can survive, grow and move to the next level.”

The task force will play a significant role in communicating out to the business and nonprofit communities, their colleagues and the organizations that they lead about guidelines and best practices as our region enters each stage of phased reopening. The task force will also establish working groups that will focus on each critical area such as health care, labor, hospitality, general business, etc.  These working groups will allow for all Westchester business owners to have an opportunity to give input.

The first meeting of the Reopening Task Force will take place this Thursday at 10:00am via Webex and it anticipates meeting virtually going forward.

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. From the Governor’s Press Office. June 1. 2020:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio today announced a citywide curfew in New York City will take effect beginning at 11 PM tonight and will be lifted at 5 AM tomorrow morning.

The Governor and the Mayor also announced that the New York City Police Department will double its police presence to help prevent violence and property damage. The additional officers will be deployed to areas where violence and property damage occurred during last night’s protests – specifically in lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.

The Governor and the Mayor also reminded New Yorkers participating in protests to take proper health precautions and wear face coverings while we continue to fight the COVID-19 virus.

“I stand behind the protestors and their message, but unfortunately there are people who are looking to distract and discredit this moment,” Governor Cuomo said. 

“The violence and the looting has been bad for the city, the state and this entire national movement, undermining and distracting from this righteous cause. While we encourage people to protest peacefully and make their voices heard, the safety of the general public is paramount and cannot be compromised. 

Tonight the Mayor and I are implementing a citywide curfew starting at 11 PM and doubling the NYPD presence across the city.”

“I support and protect peaceful protest in this city. The demonstrations we’ve seen have been generally peaceful. We can’t let violence undermine the message of this moment. It is too important and the message must be heard. Tonight, to protect against violence and property damage, the Governor and I have decided to implement a citywide curfew,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. 

“The Police Commissioner and I have spoken at length about the incidents we’ve all seen in recent days where officers didn’t uphold the values of this city or the NYPD. We agree on the need for swift action. He will speak later today on how officers will be held accountable.”

The Governor in a letter tonight said: ” Mayor de Blasio and I spoke today and agreed to implement the curfew. In addition, the NYPD will double its presence to help prevent violence and property damage. While we encourage people to protest peacefully, unfortunately, there are those who have exploited the protests as a cover for criminal activities. The safety of the general public is paramount and cannot be compromised.

2. Be aware of the risk of COVID-19 at protests. The Health Commissioner and I are concerned that the large protests may increase the spread of COVID-19. While the right to protest peacefully is sacrosanct, I nevertheless urge all protesters to take precautions like wearing a mask or face covering if participating in a protest. It would be terrible for the progress we have made on this virus to be undone.

 3. Two regions are expected to enter Phase 2 of reopening this week. Tomorrow Western New York is expected to enter Phase 2, followed by the Capital Region on Wednesday, June 3, pending a review of regional data by global public health experts. 

4. We have the lowest rate of positive test results since the pandemic began. Yesterday the state performed 50,000 tests and only 941 people, or 2%, were positive. That is the lowest number yet of positive cases.

 5. The total number of COVID hospitalizations is steadily declining. Total hospitalizations fell to 3,331, from 3,436 the day before. Yesterday, we had 183 new COVID hospitalizations. Sadly, 54 New Yorkers died of the virus — the lowest number since March.