WHITE PLAINS WESTCHESTER DAILY NEWS SERVICE VISITS SINCE 2000 A.D. 25TH YEARl REPORTING THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW News Service Since 2000 A.D. 2026 WILL BE OUR 26TH YEAR OF COVERING WHITE PLAINS NEW YORK USA . John F. Bailey, Editor (914) 997-1607 wpcnr@aol.com Cell: 914-673-4054. News Politics Personalities Neighborhoods Schools Finance Real Estate Commentary Reviews Policy Correspondence Poetry Philosophy Photojournalism Arts. The WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER. TELEVISION: "White Plains Week" News Roundup, 7:30 EDT FRI, 7 EDT MON & the incisive "People to Be Heard" Interview Program 8PM EDT THURS, 7 PM EDT SAT on FIOS CH 45 THROUGHOUT WESTCHESTER AND, ALTICE OPTIMUM WHITE PLAINS CH 1300 Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way. TOP 10 VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD :1. USA. 2.BRAZIL3.VIET NAM 4. CHINA 5. JAPAN 6.UK. 7.CANADA. 8.INDIA. 9.AUSTRALIA 10.IRELAND 11.GERMANY 12..ARGENTINA 13.BANGLADESH 14.RUSSIA. 15.NEWZEALAND. 16. FRANCE. 17.MEXICO. 18.UKRAINE. 19.SOUTH AFVRICA. 20. IRAQ.
GEORGE LATIMER LIVE ON TAPE IN HIS MONDAY AFTERNOON BRIEFING ON CORONAVIRUS WATCH(Westchester County Feed)
WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. April 5, 2020 UPdated with Video (above):
George Latimer, the Westchester County Executive announced
the death rate of coronavirus patients in the county is declining at about 20
deaths a day, bringing the total to 1,101 deaths due to COVID-19 in the county,
and that contagious cases had dropped to 5,700, 50% less than a month ago.
He also announced the county was going to test for antibodies in first responders at the newly opened Westchester County Center facility. He announced he would expand testing into nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other facilities of group residences. He said he intended to keep parks open and emphasized Westchester residents had to social distance and wear masks, and observed there was to his observation more compliance with masking rules in parks he went to this weekend.
Edward John Ciocca, Deputy Chief of the City of White Plains Fire Department, died May 1, 2020. He was 62. Edward was born April 28, 1958 in White Plains to JoAnn MacDonald Ryan and the late Adelmo Ciocca.
Chief Ciocca was a 35 year veteran and third generation firefighter. His grandfather, Edward J. MacDonald, was White Plains Fire Chief and later the city’s Commissioner of Public Safety. His father, Adelmo Ciocca, served as Deputy Chief.
Hired May 1985, Ed was assigned to firefighter Group 4 until his promotion to Lieutenant, September 1991. He led Fire Prevention for several years and in July 1999, was promoted to Deputy Chief.
Edward was kind to everyone he met. He was a source of strength and inspiration for all who knew him, and his presence lit up every room he entered. He was a principled leader and dedicated public servant. Edward was a beloved father and son who treasured family and emphasized its importance. Ed was a sports enthusiast, and an ardent fan of the Oakland Raiders and the Chicago Blackhawks. He enjoyed attending games with his family.
Besides his mother JoAnn Ryan (William) of White Plains, Edward is survived by his daughter Brianna Ciocca of Elmsford; his partner Maureen Nestor Brown of Ossining; two sisters Kim Treacy (Darren) of Fishkill; and Tracey Bonaro (James) of Clifton Park; and nieces Michelle Carpenito and Alyssa Bonaro, nephews TJ Carpenito and Jarrod Bonaro, and great nephew Christopher Mende.
In lieu of flowers donations to the White Plains Hospital Endo ICU Nursing.
GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT PAUSE AT PRESENT TIME WILL NOT BE EXTENDED. REGIONS THAT MEET CRITERIAS MAY OPEN. TWO WEEKS TO COMPLYGOVERNOR CUOMO SHOWS ALL REGIONS ARE NOT YET READY, SUGGESTING OPENINGS MAY NOT BE SIMULTANEOUS(ROCHESTER FEED)
WPCNR MONDAY GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO UPDATE. By John F. Bailey. May 4, 2020:UPDATED WITH LATEST CORONAVIRUS CASES BY COUNTY, 7:15 PM EDT:
With the New York State New Hospitalizations Rate descending by 200 persons in two days to 700 Sunday, Governor Cuomo announced May 15 when the New York Pause (now in effect) expires, after that date New York Regions could reopen provided the had opening plans that met 10 State Required conditions.
If there is a reversal in coronavirus decline, and numbers go up but average down over a three-day moving average, it looks like the state should not have trouble meeting the 14-day of downward trend required by the Center for Contagious Diseases. The governor went into specifics behind the CCD standard for reopening.
In a news release just in from the Governor’s Office at 3:20 P.M., the CCD standards were summarized with their unique new details:
New Infections: Based on guidelines from the CDC, regions must have at least 14 days of decline in total net hospitalizations and deaths on a 3-day rolling average. In regions with few COVID cases, the region cannot exceed 15 net new total hospitalizations or 5 new deaths on a 3-day rolling average. In order to monitor the potential spread of infection in a region, a region must have fewer than two new COVID patients admitted per 100,000 residents per day.
Health Care Capacity: Every region must have the health care capacity to handle a potential surge in cases. Regions must have at least 30 percent total hospital and ICU beds available. This is coupled with the new requirement that hospitals have at least 90 days of personal protective equipment stockpiled.
Diagnostic Testing Capacity: Each region must have the capacity to conduct 30 diagnostic tests for every 1,000 residents per month. The state is rapidly expanding capacity statewide to help all regions meet this threshold.
Contact Tracing Capacity:Regions must have a baseline of 30 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents, and additional tracers based on the projected number of cases in the region. The state is currently building an army of contact tracers with Mayor Bloomberg to meet the needs of each region statewide.“
Governor Cuomo outlined the specifics of which businesses
would open first, and laid out the 10 standards regions had to have businesses
and organizations to comply with before opening any region.
Businesses before any reopening after May 15, must have these precautions in place and specifics approved by the state. Governor noted they need to get working on these Reopeners now.GOVERNOR PUTS THE ONUS ON THE BUSINESSES–CHART AT END SHOWS MID-HUDSON REGION HAS THREE OF 7 STANDARDS UNMETAS OF TODAY: 14 DAY DECLINE IN HOSPITAL DEATHS/, NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS 2 PER 100,000) , TRACERS NOT IN PLACE.
He noted there were two weeks to May 15, for regions to get their plans to reopen to the standards to be considered for reopening.
GOVERNOR RECAPS WHICH OPEN FIRST.
The Governor warned that any region reopening that exceeded the 1.1 Outbreak Indicator (1 person positive infect 1.1 persons with the coronavirus) would have to shutdown the reopening and go back to a Pause.
THE FIRST QUESTION IN THE “Q & A” ASKED ABOUT MASKS AND THE GOVERNOR REEMPHASIZED THE NECESSITY, THE MORALITY OF WEARING A MASK IN DIRECT, BLUNT TERMS ABOVE AND BELOW
He emphasized during the “Q. & A.” with reporters that
wearing a mask was compulsory because the state is in a State of Emergency and
that towns, cities and counties should enforce no-maskers with sanctions and
penalties.
THE WRAP-UP: GOVERNOR CUOMO CHALLENGED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO PERFORM AND CREATE PLANS THAT WORK.
Finally, the Governor confirmed 2,538 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 318,953 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 318,953 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:(WITH WESTCHESTER, NYC, PUTNAM, DUTCHESS, ULSTER, NASSAU, SUFFOLK NUMBERS IN BOLD FACE:
Today, joined by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Delaware Governor John Carney, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, we announced a joint multi-state agreement to develop a regional supply chain for personal protective equipment, other medical equipment and testing.
Rather than competing state against state for equipment and supplies, we will now coordinate our purchasing power. We will also identify American suppliers, especially suppliers within our states, who can scale to meet the demand. States are strongest and have more buying power when we work together and it’s important that we jointly locate and purchase much-needed supplies.
Here’s what else you need to know tonight:
1. The Department of Health will require each hospital to have a 90-day supply of PPE on hand. The Personal Protective Equipment supplies must be able to last for 90 days at the highest rate of use. This common-sense requirement will help ensure our hospital systems are prepared in the event of a potential second wave of the virus.
2. Reminder, you MUST wear a mask or face covering in public when social distancing cannot be maintained. Reports of crowded parks and public spaces are unacceptable. We need to act responsibly. Warm weather doesn’t mean the rules no longer apply.
3. The number of hospitalizations continue to fall. Yesterday, total hospitalizations fell to 9,736, showing consistent decline over the past week. However, infections remain high and the virus is still spreading. Visit covid19tracker.health.ny.gov to see the latest data.
4. Remember to respond to the Census. Every New Yorker can now respond to the Census. Responding to the Census is safe, easy and can be done online from the comfort of your own home. Let’s make sure every New Yorker is counted. Complete the Census today at my2020census.gov.
Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: Albany shop Yamaguchie has shifted from making crafts to making face masks using 3D Printers and other supplies, all on a donation basis. You can go to their shop on Lark Street and pick up a mask and leave a donation — the store uses the donations to buy more material to make more masks. I stopped by the store on Saturday. If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here.
GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO, LEFT with clockwise: Governors Lamont, Murphy, Carney, and Wolf in Conference Call this afternoon, announcing their Buying ConsortiumVIDEO OF THE COMMENTS OF THE 4 GOVERNORS JOINING GOVERNOR CUOMOON ZOOM TODAY, AND THE GOVERNOR’S CLOSING COMMENTS (Governor’s NEW YORK OFFICE FEED)
WPCNR SUNDAY GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO CORONAVIRUS BRIEF. From the Governor’s Office. May 3, 2020:
Regional Supply Chains Will Help Realize Better Pricing, Delivery and Reliability of PPE and Medical Equipment for States. AGGREGATEE SUPPLYIES BY 7 STATE NEEDS
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Delaware Governor John Carney, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker today announced a joint multi-state agreement to develop a regional supply chain for personal protective equipment, other medical equipment and testing.
While the states will continue to partner with the federal government during this global and national public health crisis, they will also work together to identify the entire region’s needs for these products, aggregate demand among the states, reduce costs and stabilize the supply chain.
The states will also coordinate policies regarding the inventory of PPE each state’s health care infrastructure should have to be prepared for a possible second wave of COVID-19. The states will also coordinate policies on what supplies local governments should have on hand for their First Responders, and if any requirements regarding PPE for the non-for-profit and private sector are needed.
The states will then seek to identify suppliers within the country, region or state who can scale to meet the demand of the entire region over the next three months. The goal of this approach is to decrease the potential for disruptions in the supply chain for PPE and medical equipment, including sanitizer and ventilators, and testing, and promote regional economic development.
In addition, the states are discussing how to collectively explore emerging technologies on an ongoing basis to take advantage of the potential associated with alternative methods of production for existing products and innovation that would lead to more effective and/or less expensive alternatives. For example, 3D Printers may represent an attractive alternative to manufacturing certain personal protective equipment and medical products.
“The COVID-19 pandemic created a mad scramble for medical equipment across the entire nation – there was competition among states, private entities and the federal government and we were driving up the prices of these critical resources,” Governor Cuomo said. “As a state and as a nation we can’t go through that again. We’re going to form a regional state purchasing consortium with our seven northeast partner states to increase our market power when we’re buying supplies and help us actually get the equipment at a better price. I want to thank our neighboring states for their ongoing support, generosity and regional coordination on these important efforts.”
Governor Murphy said, “Our states should never be in a position where we are actively competing against each other for life-saving resources. By working together across the region, we can obtain critical supplies as we begin the process to restart our economies, while also saving money for our taxpayers. This concept is at the heart of the regional approach we’ve established.”
Governor Lamont said, “With global supply chains continuing to experience a major disruption due to the pandemic, combining the efforts of our states into a regional purchasing initiative will help our states obtain needed PPE and other medical equipment without competing against each other. I’ve long been advocating for the federal government to get involved because pitting all 50 states against each other to compete for these supplies has never made any sense. Partnering with our neighbors helps make our purchasing power stronger and more dependable.”
Governor Wolf said, “By working together we can combine our strengths to build the capacities we all need. We can exploit our market size to encourage producers to make what we need, we can exploit our financial strength to give that encouragement added weight, and we can exploit the great research institutions and the brainpower in our region to increase our chances of success. I look forward to working with my fellow governors—and my neighbors-to build a strong regional supply chain.”
Governor Carney said, “We need a consistent approach for moving our states out of this crisis, and that includes ensuring a sufficient supply of PPE and tests. I’m thankful for this coordination with my fellow Governors in the region. We’ll be better positioned to continue tackling this crisis working together with the states around us.”
GovernorRaimondo said, “Our healthcare workers should never have to worry if we have enough PPE to keep them safe. Over the past two months, we’ve been scouring the earth for supplies and have worked hard to meet the demand on the frontlines. We know that, in order to safely reopen the economy, we need a long-term supply of PPE for all critical infrastructure workers. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with states across the region in order to build and maintain a steady, reliable and affordable supply of PPE.”
Governor Baker said, “Massachusetts looks forward to working with other states to identify more options for PPE procurements for our health care workers and public safety personnel.”
GOVERNOR CUOMO AT CLOSE OF TODAY’S BRIEFING IN THE SUBWAY MAINTENANCE SHOPS IN CORONA QUEENS
WPCNR SATURDAY GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING. By John F. Bailey. May 2, 2020:
“Enforce the mask. The mask is not about your health, it’s about
my health. Not wearing a mask is reckless and irresponsible. You don’t have the
right to jeopardize human life,” Governor Andrew M. Cuomo stated, saying if
local authorities could not enforce mask requirements effectively, the state
would help them.
The strongest statement the Governor has made on the masking
issue at the close of the reporters’ “Q & A.” today in Corona, Queens, New
York City, when asked his reaction to a reporter’s description of a reopening
demonstration that was not social distancing and not wearing masks
The Governor said he “got the fact” that people wanted to
open and had every right to express their feelings, but “I disagree with that,
I’m not going to put a dollar sign on human life.”
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on a beautiful Saturday morning
today told counties, towns,, cities across the state to direct police,
officials, supervisors to “Enforce the
Mask,” when persons are appearing in public places without wearing one.
“New Yorkers bent that curve of infection,” Governor Cuomo had
said earlier by observing social distancing, wearing masks and being
responsible. “They proved the predictions wrong.”
This came at the end of the Governor’s daily briefing at Governor
Cuomo said new net Hospitalization Rates were “down a tick,” and new
coronavirus infections were 831 from 900, and presented Pat Foye, Chairman of
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Susan Feinberg, Interim President
of the MTA who went into cleaning procedures and riding schedules during 1 AM
to 5 AM within a week to clean all subway trains overnight to protect essential
workers from infection
Mr. Foye said 900 workers will be deployed to disinfect
subway cars overnight with sprayed disinfectant on all surfaces. He said stations would be disinfected with the
same cleaning spray with stations continually wiped down on railings and
stairways throughout the day. He reported that private cleaning companies were
being contracted to beef up the cleaning effort. Foye said the MTA is gathering
data from organizations and merchants, deemed essential, on when their workers
take the trains during the night hours and where they get on to assure stations
are served by the subways in timely stops.
Ms. Feinberg said vans, buses, uber and lyft vehicles would
be available for the essential workers during those hours, if there was no
train when they would usually take it. It was not clear whether schedules of
train stops on the various lines would be accelerated and more frequent, or
less. Ms. Feinberg said information
would be available on the MTA websites in a few days.
Questioned on where homeless persons who will be required to
leave the train when it comes to the location where it will be cleaned, will be
taken, Governor Cuomo said the city has been funded for homeless housing
facilities, and it was up to the city to make those decisions where to house
them. The governor added that the coronavirus problem has focused on the need
to engage the homeless riding the subways to accept help and shelter from the
city. “The first step is they have to leave the train.”
In his briefing, the governor said 15,000 antibody tests have been completed and
the number of persons who were infected with coronavirus now make up 12.3% of
the random persons tested. Breaking down the largest number of persons in New York
City—the Bronx was the leading borough. He said hospitals would now be
supplying data on the deomographicsl of patients they have helped, cured so the
state can isolate professions and patterns to help tamp down the number of new
infections.
The Governor did not provide more details on the announcement that all School District budget and elections would be held on June 9, and conducted by absentee ballot.
In a news release, just out, the Governor confirmed 4,663 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 312,977 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 312,977 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows (With metropolitan NY areas in boldface):
WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Governor’s Press Office. (Edit in BOLD FACE) 6 PM EDT May 1, 2020:
The White Plains City School District and every School District Budget in the state, will now for the first time in memory not depend on turnout at the polls. Every voter will get a ballot to send in.
In an effort to keep New Yorkers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today issued an executive order delaying school board elections and budget votes statewide until June 9, 2020.
The school board elections and budget votes will all be conducted by mail and all qualified voters will be sent an absentee ballot with return postage paid. The Executive Order also delays local special district and village elections until September 15, 2020.
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?”
GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF SCHOOLS FOR REST OF ACADEMIC YEAR (Albany Feed)GOVERNOR CUOMO DIRECTS SCHOOLS TO PREPARE REOPENING PLANS FOR THE FALL AND TICKS OFF WHAT THE PLANS HAVE TO DO.
