NYS Coronavirus Update

The number of total COVID hospitalizations continues to decline. Total hospitalizations fell to 3,436, from 3,619 the day before. Saturday, NY state had 191 new COVID hospitalizations.

Daily fatalities drop to lowest level since March 23rd. 56 New Yorkers died from COVID. This is a tragic number — but we are thankful it is much, much lower than where it was at the peak. As this number goes down, it is expected to level out. The question is how low it will go before that happens.

Grab the tennis balls! Finley, a 6-year-old Golden Retriever from Canandaigua, NY, was recognized by Guinness World Records for being able to hold six tennis balls in his mouth with no assistance — shattering the previous record of five tennis balls. Congratulations to this very good boy on his world record.

NYS Coronavirus Update

The number of total COVID hospitalizations continues to decline. Total hospitalizations fell to just over 4600, from 4,844 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations fell to 208, from 225 the day before. Tragically, we lost 84 New Yorkers to the virus Friday.

Please remember that social distancing rules apply at State Parks and all public outdoor spaces. You must wear a mask whenever it’s not possible to maintain six feet of distance from others.

NYS Coronavirus Update

The number of total COVID hospitalizations continues to decline. Total hospitalizations fell to 4,844, from 5,187 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations fell to 225, from 246 the day before. Tragically, we lost 109 New Yorkers to the virus Thursday.

Gov. Cuomo issued a statewide executive order Friday night that now allows any gathering of up to 10 people, so long as social distancing is observed. The order permits “any non-essential gathering of ten or fewer individuals, for any lawful purpose or reason, provided that social distancing protocols and cleaning and disinfection protocols required by the Department of Health are adhered to.”

Vote for your favorite “Wear A Mask” PSA. NY state received 600+ submissions in our Wear A Mask NY Ad Contest. Watch the video finalists, the honorable mentions and vote for your favorite at wearamask.ny.gov.

NYS Coronavirus Update

The number of total COVID hospitalizations continues to fall. Total hospitalizations fell to 5,187, from 5,570 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations fell to 246, from 295 the day before. Tragically, we lost 105 New Yorkers to the virus Wednesday.

Due to Coronavirus, there is a shortage of blood and blood donations are desperately needed. New York State is working with blood banks to ensure safe social distancing protocols are being followed. Learn how and where you can donate at http://ny.gov/donateblood.

NYS Coronavirus Update

Message from Representative Stefanik on Wednesday’s Capital District Phase 1 Reopening “Brighter days are ahead.”

The number of total COVID hospitalizations continues to decline. Total hospitalizations fell to 5,570, from 5,818 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations fell to 295, from 335 the day before. Tragically, we lost 112 New Yorkers to the virus Tuesday.

Wearing a mask in public makes us all safer.To help get the message across, NY state launched a contest asking New Yorkers to create a video and share in their own words why New Yorkers should wear masks in public. After receiving over 600 great submissions, five finalists have been selected. The winning video will be chosen by an online vote and will be used as a PSA. Watch the videos and vote for your favorite here.

NYS Coronavirus Update

Starting today, the Capital Region which includes Washington County and Huletts Landing, can begin Phase 1 of the state’s regional phased reopening plan. The region has identified enough tracers to meet the required metrics and will be joining Western New York, Central New York, the North Country, the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley in reopening Phase 1 businesses.

The number of total COVID hospitalizations continues to drop. Total hospitalizations fell to 5,860, from 5,840 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations fell to 335, from 373 the day before. Tragically, we lost 105 New Yorkers to the virus on Monday.

Elsewhere

Sometimes you just have to get excited about life!

The Belmont Stake will take place on June 20, without fans.Traditionally, the Long Island horse race is the last leg in the Triple Crown, following the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. This year, for the first time in history, the Belmont will be first. Earlier this week, Governor Cuomo announced that horse racing tracks could open without fans and the state will issue guidance on how they can safely reopen in the coming week.

NYS Coronavirus Update

The number of total COVID hospitalizations in New York state continues to drop. Total hospitalizations fell to 5,850, from 5,897 the day before. There were 373 new COVID hospitalizations Sunday, essentially flat from 374 the previous day. Tragically, we lost 106 New Yorkers to the virus Sunday.

Elsewhere

President Trump’s Letter to the WHO

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.