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WPCNR SUNDAY GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO BRIEFING.  By John F.  Bailey. May 17, 2020:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo asked more New Yorkers to get coronavirus tests today, who think they might have symptoms, and added anyone who might be returning to work in upstate reopenings to get tested. The reason is to help to control the spread of the virus after reopening and because the state is currently performing 5,000 tests a day when it has the capacity to perform 15,000 at some 700 sites across the state.

The Governor announced that the Western New York Region and the Capitol Regions would be reopened next as soon as the correct number of tracing personnel were hired and trained. The Capito Region has hired 383 and needs to hire another 166. Western New York has hired 521, needs 35. The Governor said they expected to get tracers in place “within a few days”

The Governor encouraged persons to pay attention to their mental health and the stress the 78 days of shut down and aanxiety of taken on them mentally, encouraging them to call the mental health hotline, 1-844-863-9314, and to visit a new website, www.howareyoureally.org, started by a niece of the Governor’s to help persons face how they are really feeling about all the stress. The Governor showed charts show how over 30% of Americans nationwide (in the first edition of this article WPCNR wrote NYers, WPCNR regrets the error), have expressed mental difficulties in dealing with the stress.

In the “Q. & A.,” the Governor was asked about summer camps being allowed. The Governor said the spread of  pediatric- Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome is a factor in allowing how camps open and under what conditions. Dr. Howard Zucker said there were over 120 cases now. The Governor said he fears there are a lot more. The issue of summer camps opening at all is being delayed at the present time.

Melissa DaRossa, Secretary to the Governor said the state is now dealing with possible fraud and double payment issues on the question of unemployment checks. The Governor said the backlog is “done.”

In the question of justice for families whose nursing home loved ones had died, the Governor said the received the best care possible, and that there was not a way to tell who to prosecute in alleged negligence.

The Governor at the close of his briefing showed how simply testing for the coronavirus was by being tested on camera during the briefing. He said if he tested positive he would not be back tomorrow.

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WPCNR SATURDAY GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING. By John F. Bailey. May 16, 2020:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today cleared Westchester County and Suffolk County Hospitals to begin scheduling elective surgery and ambulatory care patients because their capacity ratios to handle corononavirus patients had been met.

In response to incise questioning by Jesse McKinley of The New York Times in the “Q. & A.,” Governor Cuomo confirmed that all 5 regions that were cleared for reopening have tracing personnel now in place to track the contacts of covid-19 diagnosed individuals social contacts. The Governor said no region could open without in-place tracers ready to go. (FYI: Westchester County this week advertised for persons wanting to be tracers).

The Governor said 157 persons died yesterday from Coronavirus in New York State, up from yesterday. He said new hospitalized cases had declined. The coronavirus infections curve continued its slow decline, saying “Spikes (in fections) rise quickly, resolve slowly.”

He provided no new information on the spread of Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome (PMSIS) that was up to 119 cases affecting children from 1 to 21, whom have had coronavirus exposure and show antibodies to corona. In yesterday’s briefing he cautioned on PMSIS:

“You know with this virus, I just want to say on a personal level, and I want to make sure everybody understands this – -the facts here have been changing and the facts have only been getting more negative. This started that it was only going to attack vulnerable people, seniors, people with co-morbidities.

I was speaking to a doctor today about a young person who passed away of a stroke, from Covid. No underlying conditions, nothing else. It was a stroke. No respiratory illness. Well, what happened? Well apparently, the virus can affect the heart, and the liver, and other organs besides the lungs, and we didn’t know that.

Children weren’t going to be infected. Accept now we’re studying 100 cases where children are in fact affected by the virus and some of them very serious. And that 100 cases, I’ll wager that’s going to only go up and it’s going to be much more widespread than anyone thinks. So, the amount of personal responsibility here to keep oneself safe, to keep one’s family safe, I cannot stress highly enough, do not underestimate this virus and do not play with this virus.”

He announced that New York Horse Racing could resume June 1 without spectators, at New York racetracks .

He cleared car racing at Watkins Glen.

He said he anticipated no more lockdowns, but that regions choosing to reopen that have been cleared would have to watch for “spikes.”

The Governor said he expected numbers of infections to increase but had no arbitrary figure as to how much percentage would have to increase before regions had to make adjustments, saying it depends on the population of the region and the locations in the regions where “spikes” in infections were increasing.

He said he realized people are restless: “Everybdy wants to come out. It’s how they react when they come out. You’ll see some increase in numbers but not see a spike. It’s still relying on what we do. So be smart. Be diligent.”

He in a direct plea to the U.S. Senate considering the relief bill for the states passed by the House of Representatives Friday, said “Try to be great in this moment.” (and pass the bill).

He said in a “Q. & A” question regaring the New York State Legislature, that he would not cut the budget until Congress had made its position clear on relief for the states. The governor said that the legislature would have to take up the question of what to cut out of the state budget which faces a $61 Billion “hole.”

“There will be fights,” the Governor said.

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 49 counties can now resume elective surgeries:

Albany	Herkimer	Rensselaer
Allegany	Jefferson	Saratoga
Broome	Lewis	Schenectady
Cattaraugus	Livingston	Schoharie
Cayuga	Madison	Schuyler
Chautauqua	Monroe	St. Lawrence
Chemung	Montgomery	Steuben
Chenango	Niagara	Suffolk
Clinton	Oneida	Sullivan
Columbia	Onondaga	Tompkins
Cortland	Ontario	Ulster
Delaware	Orange	Warren
Dutchess	Orleans	Wayne
Essex	Oswego	Westchester
Franklin	Otsego	Wyoming
Fulton	Putnam	Yates
Genesee

The Governor called on the U.S. Senate to pass the coronavirus relief bill that was passed by the House last night. The bill includes $500 billion for states and $375 billion for locals; Medicaid funding for the most vulnerable; increased SNAP food assistance; 100 percent FEMA federal assistance; funding for testing; and repeals SALT to help states most affected by COVID-19.

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AMID ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES FIFTH REGION HITS BENCHMARK TO BEGIN REOPENING MAY 15TH

Central New York Joins North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions, Which Have Met the Seven Metrics Required to Begin Reopening After NYS on Pause Orders Expire on May 15th

Business Guidance for Phase One of the State’s Reopening Plan is Available Here

Initial $3 Million in Grants Available to Businesses to Manufacture Emergency Medical Supplies and Equipment

Announces President Trump has Expedited $3.9 Billion in Funding for the MTA at the Request of the Governor

Confirms 2,390 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State – Bringing Statewide Total to 343,051; New Cases in 45 Counties

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that as of today, Central New York has met all seven metrics required to begin phase one of the state’s regional phased reopening plan when NYS on PAUSE orders expire on May 15th, joining the North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions.

If the trend continues, these five regions can begin opening businesses for phase one, which includes construction; manufacturing and wholesale supply chain; retail for curbside pickup and drop-off or in-store pickup; and agriculture, forestry and fishing. Business guidance for phase one of the state’s reopening plan is available here. A guide to the state’s “NY Forward Reopening” Plan is available here. The state’s regional monitoring dashboard is available here.

The Governor also announced an initial $3 million in grants are available to businesses to manufacture emergency medical supplies and equipment. Companies interested in growing or starting a medical supply business should go to www.esd.ny.gov.

Governor Cuomo also announced that President Trump has expedited $3.9 billion in funding for the MTA at the request of the Governor.

“All the arrows are pointed in the right direction and now the question becomes focused on reopening – people have to get back to work and the state needs an economy – but we have to make sure we don’t reopen too soon,” Governor Cuomo said. “We are doing this in a calibrated way and monitoring the data, facts and metrics every single day and using the lessons we’ve learned from others who have already gone through this. And right now, based on our criteria we have five regions that are poised to reopen beginning tomorrow, and as they start to reopen certain businesses we will continue to monitor the level of activity and make sure it doesn’t create a second wave of this virus.”

Finally, the Governor confirmed 2,390 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 343,051 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 343,051 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows (MIDHUDSON REGION COUNTIES IN BOLD FACE):

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	1,509	15
Allegany	44	0
Broome	383	1
Cattaraugus	64	3
Cayuga	60	0
Chautauqua	44	1
Chemung	132	0
Chenango	112	0
Clinton	81	3
Columbia	327	9
Cortland	33	2
Delaware	67	1
Dutchess	3,474	45
Erie	4,671	65
Essex	32	0
Franklin	17	0
Fulton	144	4
Genesee	175	1
Greene	207	1
Hamilton	5	0
Herkimer	86	2
Jefferson	69	1
Lewis	12	1
Livingston	106	3
Madison	255	2
Monroe	2,019	60
Montgomery	69	1
Nassau	38,743	156
Niagara	710	20
NYC	188,545	1,295
Oneida	698	12
Onondaga	1,423	28
Ontario	129	20
Orange	9,771	78
Orleans	145	3
Oswego	78	2
Otsego	67	0
Putnam	1,115	7
Rensselaer	423	3
Rockland	12,596	53
Saratoga	415	5
Schenectady	597	10
Schoharie	47	0
Schuyler	8	0
Seneca	49	0
St. Lawrence	192	0
Steuben	230	0
Suffolk	37,544	239
Sullivan	1,168	33
Tioga	108	0
Tompkins	136	0
Ulster	1,495	14
Warren	227	4
Washington	215	1
Wayne	89	5
Westchester	31,792	181
Wyoming	77	0
Yates	22	0

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New York State now has over 340,661 positive cases. The total number tested in Westchester is 115,572; the number of people who have tested positive in the county is 31,611. The county currently estimates the number of active cases in the county to be 2,985. There are currently 498 Westchester Residents hospitalized in Westchester County. The cumulative number of positive cases in White Plains is 1671 with 147 of those estimated to be active- 4 of which are new cases today (Wednesday).

Today it was announced that on Friday 4 of the 10 New York State economic development regions will be permitted to enter phase 1 of reopening. The regions impacted are North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley. We are in the Mid Hudson region which is currently meeting 5 of the 7 metrics required to begin the reopening process. The two metrics we are not meeting are moving in the right direction.

As a reminder, individuals with symptoms of COVID-19 which include fever, cough and congestion can walk in to be tested at White Plains Hospital Emergency Department. Testing is also available at urgent care facilities such as City MD at the corner of Maple and Mamaroneck and Forme on Broadway near Main St. or contact your health care provider.

There will be food distributions in White Plains on Friday, one at George Washington Elementary School from 11am until noon,sponsored by the GWPTA, and two city run distributions at Delfino Park and Battle Hill Firehouse both at 2pm. If you are in need of food assistance please email feedingwp@whiteplainsny.gov. If you are in need of a mask please email maskwp@whiteplainsny.gov. If you would like to help please email volunteer@whiteplainsny.gov. Our next call will be Friday until then..

Remember we are standing together by staying apart!