Mayor’s Message: Message about COVID-19 Update #5 March 15, 2020

Hi everyone,

As many of you know, we have at least one and perhaps more cases of Covid-19 (Novel Coronavirus) in the Village. We knew it would eventually happen, and many of us had already resigned ourselves to the fact that Covid-19 was with us, but it is still a sobering realization. My guess is that in the next few days we will hear of more cases and it is more important than ever for everyone to play a part to help limit the spread of the virus. As we move into this next stage together, please think about the people who are on the front lines: our first responders and our medical practitioners. And most of all let’s rally behind the members of our community who become sick – they need our support and love.

Cancelling Events and Limiting Access to Village Buildings:

Last week the Senior Management of the Village, the Board of Trustees and I developed a strategy related to containment efforts with a focus on reducing situations where people congregate at events and in buildings. On Thursday and Friday, we cancelled or postponed most events and meetings except those deemed to be “essential” (i.e. meetings of the statutory bodies of the Village as well as the Village Court). This means that the meetings of most Boards and Commissions have been postponed. We are in the process of working with NYCOM and the State on how to have virtual meetings that allow for public participation as prescribed by law. We have pared down municipal services to “essential functions” and the Village Manager has consulted with Department Heads to determine which employees can work from home. Most buildings will have a skeleton staff and we have closed the library as well as the areas of the JHCC where people congregate. The full list of actions is HERE (this list may evolve as the situation changes).

Public Gatherings: As of today, the CDC is defining large gatherings as those with more than 50 people. Many people feel this is still too large a number. The Village has cancelled all events except for those deemed essential (see HERE). However, this coming week we have Village elections and procedures related to elections are governed by the State. The State has not authorized a postponement and we cannot decide unilaterally to cancel a scheduled election. We have worked out how to enable absentee voting so as to reduce scenarios where people congregate. If anyone wishes to vote by absentee ballot, the Absentee Ballot application is HERE. It needs to be returned to Village Hall by Tuesday (the day before the election). Also, last Thursday I met with several of our Village religious leaders to be sure that information is shared among us. They reported that most (if not all) services have been cancelled and they are working out ways to connect with their congregants through new technology as well as the old fashioned telephone.

Private Gatherings: Here’s where we really need your help. We cannot dictate what you choose to do in your private lives, but we are encouraging you to err on the side of caution. This may mean you need to restrict your kids from going out in group settings (I know this might mean some fights) and it may mean re-thinking play dates (I know this may mean some tears). It may also mean finding new ways to interact with the elderly and one another. Today, my parents told me that everyone in the UK over the age of 70 has been asked to self-quarantine for their own protection. My parents are slightly stroppy about this but have decided to stiff upper lip it and are already making plans about things they can do online with all of us. They live near Greenwich Park on the Thames and are taking long walks together to enjoy the fresh air. They have promised me they won’t “congregate.” These really are trying times for all of us … as one friend put it all these new impositions and restrictions makes one crave a “quarantini” …. Trustee Lambert is working on activities that can be done remotely to keep everyone occupied and we will get back to you on this soon.

Police, Fire Department and EMS

Our Police, Fire Department and EMS are on the front line. The police take calls from distressed members of the public who feel sick and have Covid-19 type symptoms, and the Fire/EMS teams are the ones who will typically be transporting sick residents to the hospitals for tests or care. Please reach out and tell them how wonderful they are - we are incredibly lucky to have each one of them and we must all do our best to keep them safe and healthy. To this end, it’s really important that everyone who has been asked to self-isolate or self-quarantine follows the correct procedures (see below).

Acts of Kindness #4:

Thanks to all of you for reaching out to Trustee Lopez who is coordinating efforts to support our more vulnerable our community members (her email is: trusteelopez@hastingsgov.org). The act of kindness I want to share today is a direct result of those efforts:

“Family-to-Family, Inc. is raising funds to support and assist our Hastings-on-Hudson neighbors struggling to put food on their tables during the Coronavirus crisis. Donations will: 1. Provide $50 gift cards—to cover one week’s worth of lunch and snack items—to fifty Hastings school children currently receiving free or reduced-price lunches. 2. Keep the Hastings Food Pantry shelves stocked with food items, cleaning products, personal hygiene products, paper goods, diapers, and more. 3. Provide $25 gift cards to families in need and seniors for perishable foods not available at the pantry. A GoFundMe site has been set up and will go live in the next day or so – I will send the information out and/or please check HERE for more information and give generously.”

Important Stuff From Prior Messages

Everything from here down is important - quite a lot of it is repeated but there are a few new bits.

Symptoms, Testing and Isolation/Quarantine
Symptoms: The typical symptoms are fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue. If you have these symptoms stay home (avoid public places and public transportation), separate yourself from others (use a separate bedroom and bathroom, eat separately, have your linens washed frequently), and call the Covid-19 hotlines to notify the authorities so that you can be given the help you need while protecting your family and neighbors. Here are the numbers to call:

People under self-quarantine or exposure to known case, call (866) 588-0195
NYS Department of Health Covid-19 Hotline (888) 364-3065
Westchester County Covid-19 Information Call 211
You can also call our police department 914-478-2344 - they have been fielding calls from residents and will know where to send you

Testing: Some residents have called to say that they or their loved ones have symptoms that appear to be similar to those of Covid-19 but they have been unable to get a test. The County has provided guidance on when testing protocols kick in HERE. Until more tests become available tests will be provided to: people who were in close proximity to a person who has been diagnosed with Covid-19 (same office, classroom etc.); people who have come back from a hot spot and have developed symptoms; or people who have been quarantined and developed symptoms. As more tests become available the categories of qualified persons should broaden. Many hospitals and private practices are getting access to Covid-19 testing and there are now more than 28 NYS authorized labs. Currently testing is available at:

State public health lab
NYC public health lab
Labcorb and Northwell labs (more private labs soon)
New Rochelle mobile testing site. Patients must call ahead to make an appointment: 888-364-3065. Priority is given to New Rochelle residents and vulnerable populations, like senior citizens and people with underlying respiratory issues.

Isolation and Quarantine Protocols:

The CDC defines the two terms HERE:

Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. The County’s isolation protocol for Covid-19 is HERE.
Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. The County’s quarantine protocol for Covid-19 is HERE and the NYS protocols can be found HERE.

As per the State’s/County’s quarantine protocol, the point of a “self-quarantine” is to avoid mixing with other people. If you are being asked to work from home please don’t refer to that as “self-quarantine” as it will confuse others. If you are not clear what protocols you and your family should be following please call the self-quarantine hotline (866) 588-0195 to get accurate guidance. If after calling the hotline you are still unclear, or if you are getting conflicting messages, please let me know and I will make the County and State aware. If you have been quarantined please, please, please follow the directions you were given – we are all counting on you!

Additional Resources:

The core advice for individual citizens remains the same as summarized on the County site HERE – washing your hands is still the single most important thing you can do!

The CDC site is constantly being updated so check back in for guidance related to schools, colleges and universities, businesses and employers, places of worship, higher risk populations (older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions), pregnant women and children, homeless shelters and large gatherings. There is also advice for travellers.

You can see past Mayor’s Messages HERE, the Village website Covid-19 page HERE, and messages from the Schools HERE.

For County Executive George Latimer’s live Facebook interview with Dr. Sherita Amler, the County’s Public Health Commissioner, from earlier this week - see: HERE. For Friday’s press conference with Governor Cuomo see HERE.

Government

Building / Property

Sustainability

Recreation

Mayor’s Message: Message about COVID-19 Update #5 March 15, 2020