ABSENTEE BALLOTS BEGIN TO ARRIVE IN WHITE PLAINS

THE ENVELOPE TO WATCH FOR
WHAT’S INSIDE: LEFT, THE ABSENTEE BALLOT. RIGHT, THE BALLOT ENVELOPE

YOU ENCLOSE THE FILLED IN BALLOT INTO THE BALLOT ENVELOPE AND SIGN YOUR SIGNATURE (AT THE X) WITH DATE YOU ARE RETURNING IT.

PLACE THE SEAL,ED BALLOT ENVELOPE INTO THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS RETURN ENVELOPE, LOWER CENTER,

THE RETURN ENVELOPE PROCEDURE: YOU ENCLOSE THE FILLED-IN BALLOT (WITHIN THE SIGNED BALLOT RETURN ENVELOPE, UPPER RIGHT, AND SIGN YOUR SIGNATURE AND FILL IN DATE YOU ARE MAILING (AT “X”), AND ENCLOSE THE SEALED SIGNED BALLOT RETURN ENVELOPE, SEAL AND YOU ALSO MUST PLACE A STAMP ON THE RETURN ENVELOPE
THE ABSENTEE BALLOT
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ABSENTEE BALLOT WHERE YOU FILL IN YOUR CHOICES. USE BLACK PEN, PENCIL OR BLUE BLACK PEN TO FILL IN THE CIRCLE BY YOUR VOTER CHOICE.
SLIP YOUR COMPLETED BALLOT IN THE BALLOT RETURN ENVELOPE ABOVE SEAL IT AND SIGN THE BALLOT RETURN ENVELOPE WITH YOUR SIGNATURE AND WRITE IN THE DATE ON THE LINE NEXT TO THE SIGNATURE BOX.
OTHER SIDE OF BALLOT RETURN ENVELOPE
RETURN THE SEALED (SIGNED AND DATED) BALLOT RETURN ENVELOPE IN THE ENVELOPE AT LOWER CENTER OF THE PICTURE ABOVE…AND ADD A FIRST CLASS STAMP TO ASSURE POSTMARK..
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Westchester Single Home Sales Rise 12% in Third Quarter. Total Residential Sales down 1.3% due to Sharp Drop in Condo, Co-op, 2-4 Family Home Sales. “The Optimism is Back.”

WESTCHESTER THIRD QUARTER REAL ESTATE SALES (From Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors.

WPCNR REALTY REALITY. From the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors. (Edited) October 5, 2020:

Weschester County saw single family residential sales increase 12% in July-August-September over 2019

A sharp drop in condo, co-op  and multi-family (2-4 family homes) caused an overall decline in  total Westchester  residential sales of  1.3%, to 2,949 units from 2,988 in the third quarter of 2019. The market is being driven by demand for single family homes.

The median price of single family homes were up in all counties in the region: Bronx County, Sullivan County, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties. The Westchester County single home median price rose 15.9% to $810,000 from $699,000 in the third quarter of 2019. The average price of a single home sale in the third quarter was  $551,353—down 1.8% The difference in the median and the average price indicates how higher priced luxury homes dominated sales.

Westchester Co-op Sales  previously a leader last year, were down 25.7%, however the co-op price did not drop rising to $237,500 median price (up 8%), and average price of  $277,883 (up 14.7%)

Westchester Condo sales continued down, while condo prices continued to trend up. The average Westchester Condominium sale was $363,672, up 18.3%, the median condo tag was $312,500 an increase of 11.6%, indicating lower price condominiums are retaining attractiveness to the house entry market.

HGAR analysts point out that multi-family sales were down across the board, specularting that decreases in condo sales (down 19.7%) and multi-family (dropping 24.8%), and  Co-ops (off 32.2%) were “more of a function  of Covid-19 related issues than lack of buyers and/or interest.”

HGAR laments “Lack of inventory continues to hamper sales in all residential categories,” but notes “Recently listing activity has increased  as buyers become more comfortable with the measures put in place to protect them from exposure to the Covid virus as well as the vibrancy of the market.”

Commenting on the housing market HGAR observes,

“It is difficult to predict market conditions going forward. In the short term the market remains strong with the number of properties in contract exceptionally high at this point of the year. These contracts should represent closed sales before the year’s end. Interest rates remain at historic lows, which contributes to affordability. Migration to the suburbs has created huge demand. What is difficult to evaluate is how long a complete recovery will take and how   that will impact the market going forward.

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GOVERNORS CUOMO AND MURPHY INTRODUCE SPEEDY “EXPOSURE APS” TO AID TRACING, STYMIE SPEED OF SPREAD,show the spread case by case.

WPCNR CORONAVIRUS INTELLIGENCE. From NY Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Phillip Murphy. October 1, 2020:

Download the App Here

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy today announced the launch of COVID-19 exposure notification mobile apps in their respective states that will serve as crucial tools to supplement the effort to trace and contact individuals subject to a COVID exposure.

The apps, COVID Alert NY and COVID Alert NJ, notify users of potential COVID-19 exposure while maintaining user privacy and security.

With today’s launch, New York and New Jersey join Pennsylvania and Delaware in creating a regional COVID Alert app network that operates across state lines to stop the spread of COVID-19. Connecticut has also announced it will launch the Exposure Notification System in the coming weeks. The app can be downloaded here.

The free mobile apps-available to anyone 18 or older who lives, works, or attends college in New York or New Jersey-are available for download from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. COVID Alert NY is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Bengali, Korean, Russian and Haitian Creole.

“We have a very exciting announcement that has taken a lot of work and it’s really creative and smart and I think it can make a big difference. This is a technology-based contact tracing app. Testing is only as good as your contact tracing,” Governor Cuomo said. “Testing is to identify a person, so you can isolate and quarantine that person and then find the connections from that person, and that’s contact tracing. We have about 15,000 people statewide who do contact tracing, they call them disease detectives. But we’ve been looking for a technology-based solution. And today, we are announcing an app that you can download for free from the app store called COVID Alert NY.”

“Over the course of our public health emergency, we’ve called for a shared sense of personal responsibility to support our contact tracing efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Murphy. “With the launch of COVID Alert NJ and our regional app network, New Jerseyans and residents in our neighboring states can support our fight against COVID-19 simply by downloading an application on their phone. The app is free and secure, and your identity, personally identifying information, and location will never be collected. The more phones that have the app, the better we can fight this pandemic.”

Governor Lamont said, “This is another critical tool in our toolbox to help our state keep the spread of COVID-19 at bay. With our states using similar technology it recognizes, yet again, that the virus does not recognize boundaries, and that we must continue to work together to take all of the steps necessary to keep our residents safe. Our efforts on contact tracing have been successful, and this will supplement those efforts.”

The apps use Exposure Notification System technology developed by Google and Apple to strengthen New York and New Jersey’s contact tracing programs statewide. The COVID Alert apps will notify users if they have been in close contact – within six feet for at least 10 minutes – with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Knowing about a potential exposure can help individuals quickly make a plan to stay safe, including contacting their physician or the State Health Department hotlines to get more information about quarantining and testing to prevent community spread.

COVID Alert NY and COVID Alert NJ are completely anonymous and do not track or collect any location data or personal data from your phone. The COVID Alert apps do not use GPS location data. The Exposure Notification System uses Bluetooth Low Energy technology to detect when another phone with the same app is within six feet. Proximity is measured, but not geographic location. COVID Alert app users must explicitly choose to turn on exposure notifications – and can turn it off at any time.

COVID Alert apps serve to strengthen New York and New Jersey’s contact tracing programs. After downloading the app, users must opt-in to receive “Exposure Notifications.” As individuals go about their day, the app will use Bluetooth to sense any “close contact” – other app users who are within six feet of you for more than 10 minutes. When the app senses a close contact, your phone will exchange a secure random code with the close contact’s phone. Of note, your location, name or personally identifiable data are never disclosed. If you test positive for COVID-19, a public health representative from the local health department will call as part of the states’ contact tracing programs and ask if you are willing to anonymously notify your “close contacts” by uploading your app’s anonymous close contact codes. Each day, the app will compare your list of close contact codes to the list of codes associated with positive COVID-19 app users. If there’s a match, you will get an Exposure Alert, along with appropriate next steps to stay safe and prevent community spread like self-quarantining and getting tested. COVID Alert apps never reveal the identity of the COVID-19 positive individual.

The COVID Alert NY app will work in conjunction with similar apps in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, allowing New Yorkers to continue to receive exposure notifications when exposed to residents of those states. If a New York State resident travels to one of those states and is exposed to someone with COVID-19 who has an equivalent app, the resident will receive a notification.

COVID Alert NY and COVID Alert NJ provide users with the latest information about COVID-19 in their states, including publicly reported testing data. In addition, the app features a Health Log where users can anonymously record daily symptoms.

COVID Alert NY and COVID Alert NJ were created with software developer NearForm. COVID Alert NY is a partnership between Google, Apple and Tech:NYC. 

“New York State has led the nation in our pandemic response, and we are thrilled to augment our already robust contact tracing program with this innovative technology to keep New Yorkers safe and their privacy maintained. The COVID Alert NY technology complements the work of our contact tracing teams and will speed up the process by which New Yorkers are notified of potential exposure and provided with helpful resources on testing and social services from the State Department of Health. We urge all New Yorkers to take the simple steps to download the app today,” said New York Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker.

“The launch of COVID Alert NY is a win for New Yorkers. It will equip people with one more tool to protect themselves from the pandemic, and help us all keep the curve flat. This app took a lot of time and effort, and I applaud the Governor and our tech partners for their innovative and collaborative work. This is proof that New York can accomplish anything when its political, business, and community leaders come together,” said Julie Samuels, Executive Director, Tech:NYC. “COVID Alert NY will not alone stop the spread of COVID, but I am hopeful it will play a constructive role as one of several components to our pandemic response strategy. Privacy and transparency are ingrained in the app, and I strongly urge everyone to download it.”

“Built with privacy at its core, the COVID Alert app puts power in people’s hands to fight against COVID-19. In using open source peer-reviewed technology, interoperable with Pennsylvania and Delaware, the States of New York and New Jersey will allow citizens to engage, protect each other and break transmission chains. This privacy preserving approach has already been successfully rolled out across borders in Ireland and parts of the UK,” said Cian O Maidin, CEO, NearForm.

Visit ny.gov/covidalerts for more information about COVID Alert NY. The app is available on the Apple Store and Google Play.

Visit covid19.nj.gov/app for more information about COVID Alert NJ.

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20 On the Rise Covid-Hot Communities Continue Spread. Show 5.5% Infection Rate. Get Tested If You Live in these 20 ZIP CODES

WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. From Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. 10 P.M. EDT September 30, 2020:

We continue to aggressively track clusters with a particular focus on the 20 ZIP codes with the highest infection rates. Within these 20 “hotspot” ZIP codes, the average infection rate is 5.5 percent.

If you live or work in one of the following ZIP codes please get a test: Rockland County (10952, 10977), Brooklyn (11230, 11204, 11219, 11223, 11229, 11210, 11234), the Bronx (10465, 10462), Manhattan (10040), Queens (11374), Staten Island (10306, 10304), Suffolk County (11717, 11746) and Nassau County (11580). 

The rate of infection for the rest of New York State, excluding those 20 ZIP codes, is 0.82 percent. While these 20 ZIP codes accounted for almost a quarter of yesterday’s positive cases, they represent only 6 percent of the state’s population.
Areas with high positivity rates now have access to rapid testing machines that the State has made available.

Table of the Day: If you live or work in one of these ZIP codes please get a test. Here’s what else you need to know tonight: 

1. New York’s COVID positive test rate is hovering at just over one percent. Yesterday (Tuesday) , there were 605 total hospitalizations. Of the 97,960 tests reported yesterday, 1,000, or 1.02 percent, were positive. Sadly, we lost nine New Yorkers to the virus.  

2. Cost should not be a barrier for essential workers to access mental health services. The State Department of Financial Services is extending its emergency regulation requiring NY health insurers to waive out-of-pocket costs, including cost-sharing, deductibles, copays and coinsurance, for in-network mental health services for New York’s frontline essential workers until November 27. 

 3. The state is working with Orthodox Jewish community leaders to develop an action plan encouraging community members to follow Coronavirus guidelines. I had a productive meeting with leaders of the community today to discuss how we can all work together to contain the spread of COVID that we’re starting to see in some religious communities across the state. We will develop an action plan to protect the health and safety of these New Yorkers. 

 4. The State has issued updated guidance for taxis, for-hire vehicles and other transportation services. Drivers are encouraged to transport passengers with the windows down to increase ventilation, and to implement physical barriers between rider and driver, in addition to the mandatory mask wearing requirement for both drivers and passengers. See the updated guidance here.  

5. National Governors Association Vice Chair Asa Hutchinson and I called on Congress to prioritize state and local aid. The pandemic is a national problem, affecting all states, and it demands a bipartisan and national solution. Read our joint statement. 

 Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: When the pandemic hit New York City, many food truck vendors put their businesses on hold — but they did not stop cooking. To help combat food insecurity in New York City, the Urban Justice Center’s Street Vendor Project has worked with food truck vendors and found a way to keep the grills on. Food truck vendors have since whipped up 6,500 meals that have been distributed throughout Brooklyn and the Bronx.

The program, which ends on Friday, has helped many immigrant-run businesses stay afloat while providing many tasty meals to New Yorkers in need.  If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here. Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

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