SITUATIONAL UPDATE: STAY HOME; WASH HANDS; SOCIAL DISTANCING; WEAR A FACE COVERING!
New Cases
· As of 2:00 p.m. May 18, 2020
o Genesee County received 2 new positive case of COVID-19 for a total of 172 positive cases
§ One of the positive cases resides in Batavia and one of the positive cases resides in Bergen.
§ One of the individuals is in their 20’s and one individual is in their 50’s.
§ Two of the newly positive individuals were not on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
§ 5 of the previous positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
§ 1 of the total active positive cases is hospitalized.
o Orleans County received 1 new positive case of COVID-19 for a total of 167 positive cases.
§ The positive case resides in Carlton.
§ The individual is in their 70’s.
§ The newly positive community case was not on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
§ Two of the previous positive community cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
§ 15 of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.
§ We received word an individual residing in The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center has died. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of this individual during this very sad time.
Click below to view the Genesee and Orleans County online map of confirmed cases.
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/5f8401b0516247b490934303e3975e49/
(The facility breakdown is only showing those facilities from where we received a positive swab for COVID-19. Facilities will be added when and if there is a positive case of COVID-19. Because the local health departments don’t follow the positive cases for facilities, we cannot report any recoveries from the facilities with positive cases of COVID-19. If a regulated facility from either of our counties is not listed, there are no positive cases of COVID-19 as of the release of this briefing. The local health departments do not have oversight with many regulated facilities, which may include nursing homes, correctional facilities, hospitals, etc.)
Social gatherings: We have plenty of guidance and criteria for businesses to safely open and encourage everyone to visit the ESD website, NY Forward and the Regional Control Room for guidance and to answer your questions.
· Un-PAUSING does NOT mean we can start having social events, even outside. The Executive Order bans gatherings of any kind, in any location, to no more than 10 people.
· The more socialization that occurs the higher risk of transmitting the virus, especially to those who are most vulnerable. It is imperitive we still restrict social/family gatherings until we are certain to have this under control and/or there is a vaccine.
· It is expected we will see an uptick of positive cases and mandatory quarantines as social interaction increases. · If cases increase, it shows us people may be ignoring the orders to not have gatherings of 10 or more people, not social distancing, not hand washing/sanitizing, disinfecting shared surfaces often, and/or not wearing face coverings properly.
· This can also impact our ability to continue the re-opening phases. · We ask that you respect the guidance and continue to social distance.
New York State on PAUSE:
NYS on PAUSE will continue until at least May 28, 2020 regarding large and social gatherings. To assist local authorities with enforcement of these orders, the Governor established the New York State PAUSE Enforcement Assistance Task Force where individuals can file complaints regarding the operation of non-essential businesses or gatherings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. https://mylicense.custhelp.com/app/ask to file a complaint online. You may also call 1-833-789-0470. Businesses that are not in compliance with the Governor’s executive order may be penalized.
· Re-Opening Guidance: Links to assist businesses
o Link to the NY Forward Reopening guide: https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/NYForwardReopeningGuide.pdf o Link to NY Forward website: https://forward.ny.gov/ o Link to NY Forward “Can I re-open” business look-up tool https://www.businessexpress.ny.gov/app/nyforward o COVID-19 Test Finder: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you
· Masks / Face Coverings
Both counties are still low in supplies of masks.
They are being distributed to high-risk agencies / businesses as prioritized and if there is a supply left over they will be distributed in an appropriate manner. County plans for releasing supplies to the public will be forthcoming as supplies become available. Additional information will be released by the respective County Emergency Management offices as appropriate.
· ROC COVID-19 Health Screener:
This symptom tracker for the Greater Rochester region is a scientific study collected aggregate data by zip code to track hot spots of COVID-19. The data will potentially show how the virus may be spreading, identify areas that may be at risk and determine how our efforts are working to slow the spread. You can participate by taking the daily survey whether you are having symptoms or are feeling healthy. It just takes a few seconds. To learn more go to: https://www.roccovid.org/index.html
· New York State is seeking contact tracers.
If you are interested in this position, click here to apply to be a part of the NYS Contact Tracing team. This is a moment of crisis and New York needs our help as soon as possible. · The Nursing Home hotline number is 833-249-8499 or click the link for the online form: https://ag.ny.gov/nursinghomes
· Swabbing and antibody testing is becoming increasingly available in the WNY region. If you are experiencing symptoms, contact your primary care provider and they will determine if testing is right for you. If the counties receive an increase in swabbing supplies and the protocol for testing is changed, we will notify the public. The Health Departments are not providing public swabbing due to lack of supplies. For more information on testing https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-testing.
· There is still no cure or vaccination available for COVID-19. Be alert to scams or home remedies. Contact your primary care provider if you have any symptoms and follow his/her instructions.
Children
Children have had their lives turned upside down with school suddenly closing, not being able to play with their friends, no birthday parties and people wearing masks wherever they go. This is a challenging time for everyone, but we also need to remember this is probably more challenging for many children.
· Consider setting up virtual play dates so your children can ‘connect’ with their friends, plan to allow time for them to catch up, but also engage in an activity like playing cards or a board game they have while on a messaging app. · Spend time with your children outside. Now is a great time to start a Victory Garden of plants and fruits and vegetables as we move into warmer weather.
· Here are a couple of coloring/activity books developed for children to help them understand what COVID-19 is about, how to protect themselves and have a little fun coloring and doing the activities.
o https://www.chrichmond.org/media/file/coloring-pages_COVID-19_social_v7.pdf o https://together.stjude.org/content/dam/together/en-us/other/covid-19/coronavirus-coloring-book-together.pdf
Mental Health
· Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations and having to socially distance yourself from someone you love can be difficult.
Below are resources that can help you connect to a professional that can help you through these challenging times:
o Care + Crisis Helpline is available 24/7 at 585-283-5200 or text ‘Talk’ to 741741
o New Yorkers can call the COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for mental health counseling
o Health care workers can text NYFRONTLINE to 741741 to access 24/7 emotional support services
Domestic Violence · For New Yorkers in need of help or assistance, they can text 844-997-2121 or can go to the new confidential online site to reach a professional at www.opdv.ny.gov The new text program and confidential online service will make it easier for victims who are isolated with their abusers to get help. Both the text and online service are staffed 24/7 by the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Staff who are experts in the area of domestic violence.
NEW YORK STATE RESTRICTIONS / GUIDANCE
· Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting for Re-opening America: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-04/documents/316485-c_reopeningamerica_guidance_4.19_6pm.pdf.
· New Yorkers who have recovered from COVID-19 are encouraged to donate blood.
Here’s information on how to donate or for the American Red Cross Donation Program,https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/plasma-donations-from-recovered-covid-19-patients.html
· Complaints regarding businesses are being referred to the State Department of Labor via online form https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/coronavirus-complaints.shtm or phone: 1-833-789-0470.
COVID-19 RELIABLE SOURCES
· New York State Department of Health – https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home
· CDC – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
· Genesee County Health Department –https://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/coronavirus_2019/index.php
· Orleans County Health Department –https://orleanscountyny.com/departments/publichealth/covid-19/
· NY State of Health – https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/
· If you believe an employer is violating either existing labor laws or recently issued by Governor Andrew Cuomo, please contact the NYS Attorney General’s office at (212) 416-8700 or Labor.Bureau@ag.ny.gov
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