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NYS Coronavirus Update

There are over 700 locations where New Yorkers can get diagnostic testing. New Yorkers can visit a new website — coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you — and enter their address to view a list and a map view of the nearest testing sites. The state has also partnered with Google Maps to display testing site results. New Yorkers can search “COVID testing near me” on Google Maps to easily find the nearest testing sites. Please remember you must always schedule an appointment to get a COVID-19 diagnostic test by calling 1-888-364-3065 or your healthcare provider.

New York State is partnering with CVS to bring testing to more than 60 CVS pharmacies across the state. Each site will be able to conduct 50 or more tests per day.

The number of total COVID hospitalizations continues to drop. Total hospitalizations fell to 5,897, from 6,220 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations also dropped to 374, from 400 the day before. Tragically, we lost 139 New Yorkers to the virus on Saturday.

Elsewhere

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NYS Coronavirus Update

The number of total COVID hospitalizations is still dropping. Total hospitalizations fell to 6,220, from 6,394 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations also dropped, from 400 to 431 the day before. Tragically, we lost 157 New Yorkers to the virus on Friday.

Testing capacity continues to strengthen. On Friday, 40,669 New Yorkers were tested for the virus. For context, in early March, 2000 New Yorkers a day were being tested. Of those tested Friday, 2,419 people were positive.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is calling for a federal probe of Gov. Cuomo’s handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes. Her call came after a new report showed the state quietly altered the way it publicly reports nursing home deaths from the virus. In early May the state stopped counting nursing-home patients who died from COVID-19 in hospitals in its official tallies of nursing-home fatalities, The Daily Caller reported. It now only includes those deaths that occur in the nursing home facility itself. So if a nursing home resident catches COVID-19 in the nursing home, gets sent to a hospital and dies, that gets listed as a hospital death.

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NYS Coronavirus Update

NY State beaches will be open Memorial Day weekend. In coordination with the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware, New York State beaches will reopen with restrictions in place effective Friday, May 22. The restrictions include reducing the number of people allowed and ensuring there are enough staff present to enforce social distancing. Local beaches and lakeshores may also open Friday May 22nd if they follow the same safety precautions.

“New York on PAUSE” remains in effect until May 28. However, as soon as your region hits the benchmarks, it can begin to reopen immediately — it does not have to wait until May 28. To see where our region stands, visit the state’s Regional Dashboard. Washington County has been placed in the “Capital Region.”

The number of total NY COVID hospitalizations is still dropping. Total hospitalizations fell to 6,394, from 6,706 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations rose slightly to 431, from 420 the day before. Tragically, we lost 132 New Yorkers to the virus yesterday, and our hearts are with their loved ones.

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NYS Coronavirus Update

New York will reopen certain low-risk business and recreational activities statewide on May 15th. This includes landscaping and gardening, low-risk outdoor recreational activities (like tennis) and drive-in movie theaters.

The number of total COVID hospitalizations are still dropping. Total hospitalizations fell to 6,706, from 6,946 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations rose slightly to 420, from 416 the day before. Tragically, we lost 157 New Yorkers to this vicious virus yesterday.

Patients in New York hospitals must now test negative for the coronavirus before they can be discharged to nursing homes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared. This partially reverses a policy that that the Cuomo administration instituted that forced sickened senior citizens into facilities housing those most vulnerable. The ruling partially overrides a controversial March 25 order that nursing homes cannot deny admission or readmission on the basis of a positive or suspected COVID-19 case.

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NYS Coronavirus Update

The number of total COVID hospitalizations in New York continues to decline. Total hospitalizations fell to 7,262, from 7,776 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations yesterday was 521 — the lowest it has been since March 20.

Berkshire Bank has announced that effective 5/11/2020 its Whitehall branch will be expanding its branch hours. “For branches that are currently open, will now be available Monday-Friday 9am-4pm and will remain closed on Saturday and Sunday.”

Elsewhere:

Senator Tom Cotton appears with Maria Bartiromo to discuss recent reporting showing cell phone data in/around Wuhan China showed road-blocks and/or a containment zone may have been set up in October of 2019. The suspicion is that China knew the virus had escaped the Wuhan bio-lab and was taking effort to contain the spread of the virus.

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NYS Coronavirus Update

The state has learned new insights about the patients being hospitalized with COVID-19 from a survey of hospitals. New York received 1,269 survey responses from 113 hospitals over three days. Of the newly hospitalized patients, 66% were at home before they were admitted, compared to 18% who had been in nursing homes, 4% in assisted living and less than one percent from jails or prisons. Only 4% of respondents reported having used public transportation.

The number of new COVID hospitalizations in New York continues to fall. Yesterday, the number of new COVID hospitalizations fell to 601, down from 659 the day before.

Now, through August 12th, sunsets will be 8 p.m. or later. According to National Weather Service, the first sunset after 8 p.m. was on Monday. Still, as the weather gets warmer, we must continue our vigilance and practice social distancing.

The state is asking New Yorkers to explain why wearing a mask in public is important in a video submission contest. The winning video will be used in a TV ad. Videos should be less than 30 seconds long and should show how to wear a mask properly, covering both the mouth and nose. The submission deadline is May 15th. Learn more at WearAMask.ny.gov.

Representative Stefanik sent a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting immediate help for the United Sates Postal Service. The letter, signed by members of the New York Congressional Delegation, outlines the importance of the Postal Service in New York State, where 7.7 million addresses are served. The letter also outlines the negative financial impact that the COVID-19 outbreak has had on mail volume and goes on to support the Postal Board of Governors’ request for a total of $75 billion in funding for the Postal Service. Representative Stefanik understands firsthand the importance of the Postal Service in her district, especially in our more rural areas. The Postal Service is a critical component of our infrastructure, and it employs many people in the district as well. Congresswoman Stefanik continues to advocate for federal funding to support the Postal Service through this challenging time and beyond.

Elsewhere:

First Lady Melania Trump’s Message for National Nurses Day

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DEC Forest Ranger Rescues Near Lake George

Town of Bolton
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On April 29 at 4:30 p.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch reporting a 75-year-old man from Gansevoort who became disoriented while hiking on Thomas and Cat mountains and was unsure about which path to take to get back. After obtaining the disoriented hiker’s cell phone number, Forest Ranger Evan Donegan contacted him and gave instructions on how to return to the trailhead on the north side of the mountain. Meanwhile, Ranger Donegan made his way into the woods to intercept the man and assist him the rest of the way out. At 6:28 p.m., Ranger Donegan reached the mountain’s summit, but had not found the hiker. Forest Ranger Joe Hess also responded to start in from the southern trailhead at Edgecomb Pond. At 7:09 p.m., the hiker’s daughter called Dispatch reporting her father was back on the trail with her husband. Ranger Donegan was notified and reached the two men by 7:19 p.m. He escorted the pair back to the trailhead and all Rangers were cleared from the scene.

Town of Bolton
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 2 at 9:29 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a concerned family member of two hikers on Cat Mountain. The hikers were not prepared for darkness and were lost on the trail. The caller was instructed to have the hikers call 911 to obtain their coordinates. Dispatch determined that the hikers were just off the east trail. Forest Ranger Evan Donegan responded to the trailhead south of Edgecomb Pond at 10:45 p.m. and started hiking in to locate the hikers. At 11:53 p.m., Ranger Donegan requested a second Ranger to respond to the north trailhead to assist with transportation needs once the hikers were located. At 12:15 a.m., Ranger Donegan advised that the two hikers were found off the trail, tired and slightly hypothermic. Ranger Donegan assisted the pair north up the trail where they were met by Ranger Logan Quinn with an ATV. The 66-year old woman and 67-year-old man from Saratoga Springs were given a ride out to the parking lot. The couple declined medical treatment and departed. All Rangers were cleared from the scene at 2:35 a.m.

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Casino Schedule Update

In light of the COVID-19 National Emergency, the Huletts Casino will be closed through at least June 15th. It will not be open for the Memorial Day weekend.

Hopefully, we will be through this storm soon.

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Saturday Quote

“As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there’s a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.”

The Douglas Letters: Selections from the Private Papers of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas

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NYS Coronavirus Update

All K-12 schools and college facilities statewide will remain closed for the rest of the academic year. Schools will continue to provide distance learning during that time and be required to continue meal programs and child care services for essential workers. The state will make a decision about summer school programming by the end of May.

Even though New York is still on PAUSE, New York State Parks remain open for solitary walks or hikes. To help beat cabin fever, all fees for state, local and county parks are waived — but you must keep six feet of distance from others and where a mask where social distancing is not possible. (You don’t need to stay six feet away from someone in your own household who is joining you.)

Elective outpatient treatments and surgeries can resume in 35 NY counties. Previously, the Governor announced that the state will allow elective outpatient treatments to resume in counties and hospitals without significant risk of a COVID-19 surge in the near term. The list of counties that have been approved is here.