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.

Hits: 0

WPCNR FRIDAY GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO CORONOVA VIRUS BRIEFING. By John F. Bailey May 1, 2020:

Governor Andrew Cuomo closed New York Schools, colleges, private schools, public schools through the rest of this academic year through June, today.

He said the time available for schools to reorganize their facilities to comply with social distancing in May and June effectively and keep children safe  was “a physical impossibility.”

“We are going to be asking businesses to come up with plans that safeguard workers when they reopen. We need schools to come up with plans also that bring those precautions into the schoolroom. That is also for colleges, and the state will approve those plans,” the Governor said.

A decision on whether summer school would be conducted in schools would be made in a month. If in-person attendance at Summer School was considered not possible to maintain social distancing, summer school would be conducted using “distant learning” at home.

The governor directed schools and school districts and colleges to draft reopening plans for the fall with a specific list of components which will have to be approved by the  state.

The Governor expressed concern about the Hospitalization Rate which he said continued to bounce between 900 new hospitalizations a week and 950. He said it was important to learn more about who was being hospitalized, where they were from, their work, whether they were essential workers, in an effort to  find a common denominator that would account for the steady hospitalization rate so this sector could be dealt with more effectively,

The Hospitalization Rate, according to the Center for Contagious Deceases, must have gone down for 14 consecutive days, before a state can reopen an area.

The governor announced alarming rates of increase in mental health problems. Half of all Americans say they have seen their health deteriorate. Three quarters of Americans say their sleep has been affected.

Domestic violence was up 15% in March and 30% in April. The state has set up a domestic violence hotline. 844-997-2121. 

Frontline workers, the Governor feels, can be particularly affected by stress issues related to the pressures of their jobs. To help them acquire the mental health advice they need, the governor has directed all insurance deductibles and copays to suspend those payments for frontline workers.

The governor said to text NYFRONTLINE at 741-741 for frontline workers needing help dealing with mental issues.

In the news Q & A.,discrepancies in how many have died from nursing homes from covid was raised, again. Dr. Zucker, Director of the New York State Department of Health said nursing homes were undergoing a protocol to investigate whether or not the nursing homes had overstated the number of deaths from COVID. He said if the home (s) had been found to have deliberately overstated, they could be sued for fraud. The investigation is ongoing.

No questions were asked during a cacaphonous news conference that sounded like “The Front Page.”

Reporters ignored previous news conference behaviors requested by the Governor out the window.

No questions were asked about when the tracing program  system (discussed by Michael Bloomberg yesterday) would be ready for deployment in the field.

No questions were asked whether the schools remaining closed would affect  NY Reopening or delay it to August. However that is still fourteen consecutive weeks of declining hospitalization rate away at earliest, before the state can reopen.

Governor Cuomo was asked by a reporter who shall rename nameless, “Considering the 300,000 infections and 18, 610 deaths, how do you rate your performance?”

The Governor replied “I tried my best.”

Hits: 1

WPCNR THURSDAY GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING. By John F. Bailey. April 30, 2020 UPDATED 4:45 PM EDT:

The race to create the New York Tracing System to identify in  real time, any rise in coronavirus infections after any reopening occurs is on.

The Subways will be disinfected every night–beginning next week from 1 A.M. to 5 A.M. to protect essential works in a plan, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced this afternoon.

Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced Mike Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York, in a conference today, who explained the details of the tracing program Mr. Bloomberg is creating with his philanthropic organization, and Johns Hopkins Hospital, one week after the Governor named him to create the tracing program.

Mr. Bloomberg SAID in his telephone call  that tracer prospects would be drawn from medical students in New York State and health professionals. The training will be done online. Mr. Bloomberg announced reporting by tracers would be done in real time, reporting contacts with persons identified as testing positive interviewing the new cases for possible persons they may have interacted with previously to their being diagnosed. The tracer will then contact the possible contacts and quarantine them for 15 days, checking in with the contactees for symptoms.

The tracers would track down possible infectees  the positive person may have seen and send those names back to a central system via a second ap. The persons contacted by the infected individual with the coronavirus, would have an  app to impart any symptoms to the centralized system. There would be three apps created.

Governor Cuomo noted that yesterday 4,681 new positives Wednesday, to note how large a scale the tracing system had to be prepared for every day after any reopenings. Mr. Bloomberg said the system, and its manual, training materials would be available to Mayors across the country to help them use the tracing system and also made available to the world.

In an release just in from the Governor’s Press Office, the tracing system was explained in more detail:

First, labs will report positive cases of COVID-19 immediately to contact tracers on a daily basis.

The contact tracer will then interview the positive patient to identify people they may have been in contact with over the past 14 days.

The contact tracer will notify and interview each contact to alert them to their risk of infection and instruct those contacts to quarantine or isolate for 14 days to be sure they don’t spread COVID-19 to others. 

The contact tracers will monitor those contacts by text throughout the duration of their quarantine or isolation to see if the contacts are showing any symptoms.

The program is expected to have 6,400 to 17,000 tracers statewide depending on the projected number of cases. Contact tracing teams will work remotely with state-of-the-art software to develop a secure database of information on the spread of the infection.

To meet the nation-leading scale and scope of this program, Mayor Bloomberg and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will support the State Department of Health’s initiative to build an army of contact tracers through a three-step process: recruitment, interviewing and training. Bloomberg Philanthropies will help DOH to actively identify and recruit potential contact tracers for the program from State, City and County Health Departments.

There was no information as to when the tracing system would be ready for any possible New York re-opening or how it would be tested. Mayor William DeBlasio of New York City said New York would provide 1,000 health and employees as tracers to start.

The Governor announced a plan had been submitted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for cleaning all subway cars every day. The plan is beginning in a week, (not tonight ) subways would be closed between 1 AM and 5 A.M. (when 10,000 people ride the trains, the governor said). Transportation for  Essential Workers would be provided by the MTA free, using buses, free vans, or Uber and Lyft cars. Meanwhile the subway cars would have every surface cleaned. Police would supervise each closed station for security.

Mayor DeBlasio said arrangements through outreach to the homeless have been made in order that the problem of vast numbers of homeless sleeping on the subway would be eliminated. The condition of sleeping on the subways was dramatized by front page photos in The Daily News last weekend.

Corona virus statistical indicators resumed declines across the board yesterday, including the Hospitalization Rate.

Hits: 389

WPCNR THE POWER STORY. From Entergy Corporation. April 29, 2020:

Control room operators at Entergy Corporation Indian Point Unit 2 will shut down the reactor Thursday as scheduled for the final time, after more than 45 years of producing clean, safe and reliable power for New York. The other operating unit at the site, Unit 3, is scheduled to permanently shut down by April 30, 2021.

“Over the last 45 years, thousands of dedicated professionals have operated Unit 2 at Indian Point – safely, securely and reliably,” said Chris Bakken, Entergy’s Chief Nuclear Officer. “We owe each of them our thanks for a job well done and for their commitment to the highest standards of professionalism.”

Announced in 2017, the shutdown of both operating units at Indian Point is pursuant to a settlement agreement with the State of New York and was the result of a number of factors, including sustained low current and projected wholesale energy prices that reduced revenues.

As part of its commitment to employees at Indian Point, the company has previously announced a plan to find a position within Entergy for those qualified employees who are willing to relocate. Currently, more than 40 employees from Indian Point have accepted offers to continue with Entergy in other locations.

Hits: 353

WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. April 29, 2020:

Dear Residents,
As we continue to work through this challenging time, I would like to thank you for the tremendous compliance we have had with social distancing and facial coverings requirements. Your efforts have made a difference and I urge you to keep it up!

I would be remiss if I didn’t also acknowledge the many, many White Plains residents who have contacted us to volunteer in some way — to offer your time, your resources, your expertise. There has always been a strong volunteer spirit in our community.

During this crisis that spirit has shown through in ways large and small.

Finally, I wanted to take a moment to offer my condolences to those residents who have lost a loved one. Such a loss is always hard, but now, because of isolation and quarantine requirements, it is even more difficult.

During this unprecedented time we have once again come together as a community and I have no doubt we will be stronger for it. 
Remember, we are standing together by staying apart.
With my sincere thanks,

Mayor Thomas Roach

Hits: 2

.

WPCNR Tuesday Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Coronavirus Briefing. By John F. Bailey. April 28, 2020:

The Governor said a number of counties have Coronavirus cases low enough to compare with less impacted states around the country at his briefing this afternoon at Upstate Medical College in Syracuse. Downstate New York was not one of them, yet.

Those counties the Governor showed on a map indicated the number of covid cases would be considered first for reopenings, however those counties wishing to open have to submit a 12-point plan of issues (described Monday) to be addressed, fulfilled, and submitted for state approval before any reopening.

An advisory board on reopenings is being formed of 30 business and community leaders to help craft and evaluate the efficacy of submitted county plans,

The new specifics added to yesterday’s presentation set 2 standards for any reopening county dictating when they must halt any reopening in progress and address a corona spread.

If hospitals in treating patients with Coronavirus or whatever medical situations went over 70% capacity (with 30%  of that capacity reserved to treat serious corona virus patients, this would dictate the county could not continue with the reopening.

The second signal to halt the county reopening would be triggered if the number of new cases indicated infections rose above 1 person to 1 person.

Either condition would  be a “circuit breaker,” Governor Cuomo called it, seeming to indicate perhaps any reopening breaching those hard stops,  would have to slow, stop and install previous efforts to corral the rapid growth of the corona disease again.

A decision on school policy, the Governor said, would be made at the end of this week. Asked about the plan for September, the governor said it was too far ahead to make a decision.

The Reopenings of New York planned will not be a return to a normal summer, either.

Governor Cuomo responding to the first question from a reporter at the “Q & A” asking if open festivals, fairs, waterpark facilities would be allowed, Governor Cuomo said “No they can’t.” Amplying that, the Governor said this included pools, waterparks and beaches, because they create “density.”

Melissa DeRosa, Executive Secretary to the Governor said the backlog of unemployment claims was down to 400,000, and a printing glich of 1,000,000 checks that stuck together while printing, had been identified and was being rectified.

It was announced that the Central New York region was going to have hospitals cleared to accept electoral surgery first, but the Capitol District, Western New York, and Downstate New York would not.

An advisory board on reopenings is being formed of 100 business and community leaders to help craft and evaluate the efficacy of submitted county plans, The members were announced late Tuesday afternoon:

MEMBERS OF NEW YORK FORWARD RE-OPENING ADVISORY BOARD

 Quenia Abreu – President New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce  Elizabeth Alexander – President, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation  Vincent Alvarez – President, NYC Central Labor Council  Ajay Banga – CEO, MasterCard  Kathy Behrens – President, Social Responsibility & Player Programs, National Basketball Association  Bill Berkley – Chair, NYU  Albert Bourla – CEO, Pfizer  Elizabeth Bradley – President, Vassar College  Kyle Bragg – President, SEIU 32BJ  Heather Briccetti – President & CEO, The Business Council  Tory Burch – Executive Chair, Tory Burch LLC  Gerrard P. Bushell – former President and CEO of the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY)  James Cahill – President, NYS Building and Construction Trades  Wellington Chen – Executive Director of Chinatown Business Improvement District  Mario Cilento – President, NYS AFL-CIO  Henry Cisneros – Siebert, Brandford, Shank & Co.  Dr. Katherine Conway-Turner – President, SUNY Buffalo State College  Steven M. Cohen – Former Secretary to the Governor  Stacey Cunningham – President, NYSE  Vijay Dandapani – President & CEO, Hotel Association of NYC  Sonya Del Peral – Nine Pin Ciderworks  Mylan Denerstein – Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher  Alicia Fernandez Dicks – President/CEO, Community Foundation of Oneida and Herkimer  James Dolan – CEO, Madison Square Garden  Stacey Duncan – Executive Director, The Agency  Leecia Eve – Vice President of State Government Affairs, Verizon  Bill Ford – CEO, General Atlantic LLC  Jane Fraser – President, Citigroup  Adena Friedman – President & CEO, Nasdaq  Bea Grause – President, Healthcare Association of New York State  Jonathan Gray – President & COO, Blackstone Group  George Gresham – President, 1199SEIU  Horacio Gutierrez – General Counsel, Spotify  Sabrina HoSang Jordan – CEO, Caribbean Food Delights, Inc.  Maria Imperial – CEO, YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester  Shirley Ann Jackson – President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute  Dr. Amarilis Jacobo – President, National Hispanic Dental Association  Jeremy Jacobs Jr – Co-Chief Executive Officer, Delaware North  Michele Johnson – YWCAs of Elmira – President of YWCAs NYS  René Jones – Chair & CEO, M&T Bank  Michel Khalaf – President & CEO, MetLife  Pat Kane – Executive Director, New York State Nurses Association  Gary LaBarbera – President, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York  Mary Beth Labate – President, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities  Kevin Law – President & CEO, Long Island Association, Inc.  Jon Ledecky – Co-Owner, NY Islanders  Kewsong Lee – Co-CEO, Carlyle Group  Randy Levine – President, NY Yankees  Mayra Linares-Garcia – VP of Public Affairs and Communications at Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages  Melanie Littlejohn – Chair, Board of Directors, CenterState CEO  Joanie Mahoney – Chief Operating Officer, SUNY ESF  Carl McCall – Former Chair, SUNY Board of Trustees; Former NYS Comptroller  Brenda McDuffie – President & CEO at Buffalo Urban League  Cheryl McKissack Daniel – President & CEO, McKissack & McKissack  Father Joseph McShane – President, Fordham University  Elizabeth Moore – General Counsel, Con Edison  Wes Moore – CEO, Robin Hood  Marc Morial – President & CEO, National Urban League  William J. Mulrow – Former Secretary to the Governor  John McAvoy – Chairman, President & CEO, Con Edison  Danny Meyer – CEO, Union Square Hospitality Group  Dr. Belinda S. Miles – President, SUNY Westchester Community College  Frankie Miranda – President & CEO, Hispanic Federation  Orinthia T. Montague – President, Tompkins Cortland Community College  Candice Niu – Executive Director, China General Chamber of Commerce  Ana Oliveira – President & CEO, The New York Women’s Foundation  Kim Pegula – President and CEO, Pegula Sports and Entertainment  Elizabeth Peralta – Executive Director, National Supermarket Association  Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker – President/CEO, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo  Charles Phillips – Chair, Infor  Martha Pollack – President, Cornell University  Ted Potrikus – President & CEO, Retail Council of New York State  Ken Raske – President, Greater NY Hospital Association  Scott Rechler – CEO & Chairman, RXR Realty  Andrew Rigie – President, NYC Hospitality Alliance  Linda Brown-Robinson – President, Syracuse Onondaga NAACP  Lisa Rosenblum – Vice Chair, Altice  Jane Rosenthal – Co-Founder & CEO, Tribeca Enterprises  Steven Rubenstein – Chairman, Association for a Better New York  Bill Rudin – Rudin Management Company  Kevin Ryan – Co-Founder, MongoDB  Julie Samuels – President, Tech:NYC  Rob Sands – Chairman, Constellation Brands  Theresa Sanders – President of the Urban League of Long Island  Jaime Saunders – CEO, United Way of Greater Rochester  Diane Serratore – Executive Director, Help From People to People  Carlo Scissura – President & CEO, NY Building Congress  Leonard Schleifer – CEO, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals  Josh Silverman – CEO, Etsy  Lisa Sorin – President, Bronx Chamber of Commerce  Rob Speyer – President & CEO, Tishman Speyer  Ty Stone – President, Jefferson County Community College  Ken Sunshine – President, Sunshine Sachs  Steve Swartz – President & CEO, Hearst; Co- Chair, Partnership for NYC  Chandrika Tandon – Chair, Tandon Capital Associates  Elinor Tatum – Publisher and Editor in Chief, New York Amsterdam News  Crickett Thomas-O’Dell – Regional Director, Workforce Development Institute  Bill Thompson – Chairman, CUNY  Merryl Tisch – Chairman, SUNY  Erin Tolefree – Executive Vice President, Baldwin Richardson Foods  Elizabeth Velez – CEO Velez Organization & Chair, NY Building Congress  Fanny Villarreal – Executive Director, YWCA Syracuse Onondaga County  Dennis Walcott – Former NYC School Chancellor  John Waldron – President and COO, Goldman Sachs  Darren Walker – President, Ford Foundation  Peter Ward – President, NY Hotel & Motel Trades Council, AFL-CIO  Nicole Wegman – Senior Vice President, Wegmans  Anthony Welters – Executive Chairman, BlackIvy Group, LLC  Jim Whelan – President, Real Estate Board of New York  Jeff Wilpon – COO, NY Mets  Tren’ness Woods-Black – Sylvia’s Restaurant  Sheena Wright – President & CEO, United Way of New York City  Kathy Wylde – President & CEO, Partnership for NYC  Jo-Ann Yoo – Executive Director, Asian American Federation  Kristine M. Young – President, Orange County Community College  Lourdes Zapata – President & CEO at South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation