Wednesday, October 28, 2020
RECOVERY AGENDA: MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES OPEN STOREFRONTS PROGRAM
NEW YORK STATE DIVISION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION AND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH URGE NEW YORK FAMILIES TO BE SAFE DURING HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS THIS YEAR
Keeping Everyone Safe is the Goal While Avoiding the Spread of COVID-19
Avoid Large Crowds, Keep Your Distance, Wear a Mask and Wash Your Hands Often
Safety Tips for Adults and Children for an Enjoyable and Safe Halloween Celebration
The New York State’s Division of Consumer Protection and the New York State Department of Health urge caution to parents and children during this year’s Halloween celebrations. Halloween traditions may look different this year due to COVID-19, and keeping everyone safe is the goal so families and children can have fun while avoiding being exposed or spreading the virus.
The most important tip you can follow is to keep doing what you have been doing: Avoid large gatherings, keep your distance of six feet from others, wear a mask or face covering, and wash your hands often.
This year, do not trick-or-treat or leave out candy if you are sick, live with someone who is sick, have been exposed to someone known to have COVID-19 in the last 14 days, are under isolation or quarantine, or have traveled internationally or to a state affected by the NYS Travel Advisory in the last 14 days.
“Halloween has a long tradition of being fun for families and children but this year the rules have changed due to COVID-19,” said Secretary of State Rossana Rosado, who oversees the Division of Consumer Protection. “We urge everyone to be mindful and protect our children and each other so the experience of trick-or-treating remains enjoyable while maintaining healthy habits during this pandemic year. Let’s find safe ways to celebrate and create magical memories this Halloween.”
“We all want our children and our communities to enjoy the magic of Halloween, but it’s critical to prioritize health and safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. “We urge families to remember to wear masks, social distance, practice proper hand hygiene and take steps to make sure the Halloween activities you choose to engage in are as safe as possible.”
Creative Ways to Celebrate Safely
This year there are some creative ways to celebrate more safely, according to the NYS Department of Health guidelines found here :
- Organize a virtual Halloween costume party with costumes and games.
- Have a neighborhood car parade or vehicle caravan where families show off their costumes while staying socially distanced and remaining in their cars.
- Make this year even more special and consider non-candy Halloween treats that your trick-or-treaters will love, such as spooky or glittery stickers, magnets, temporary tattoos, pencils/erasers, bookmarks, glow sticks, or mini notepads.
- Create a home or neighborhood scavenger hunt where parents or guardians give their kids candy when they find each “clue.”
- Go all out to decorate your house this year – have a neighborhood contest for the best
decorated house.
- Carve and decorate pumpkins at home – try some new creative ideas and have a
family contest.
- Play Halloween-themed games with members of your household or watch spooky movies.
- Trick-or-treat room to room in your home.
Outside trick-or-treating
- The New York State Department of Health recommends that if people decide to go out, wear a protective cloth mask of at least two layers of breathable fabric—not a costume mask. A Halloween mask should not be a substitute for a protective mask.
- Trick-or-treat only with your household family group. Always stay socially distanced from those who are not living in your household.
- Do not pick out candy from a bowl or receive candy directly from someone’s hands. If there is crowding in front of a home, or if treats are directly taken from a bowl or directly
handed out from someone’s hands, skip that house and find a safer option.
- If you hand out treats, consider sitting outside and lining up individually prepacked treat bags for families.
- Look for community events focused on safe ways to have fun. These may include programs offered by a park district, arboretum, zoo or other outdoorvenues in your area.
- Wash hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer before, during and after any Halloween activities. Consider carrying Halloween-themed or decorated hand sanitizer or leaving some out for your trick-or-treaters to use.
Activities
- In cities or apartment buildings, communities can come together to trick-or-treat around the block or other outdoor spaces so kids and families aren’t tempted to trick-or-treat inside –building residents and businesses can contribute treats that are individually wrapped and placed on a table(s) outside of the front door of the building, or in the other outdoor space for grab and go trick-or-treating.
- Avoid indoor events such as haunted houses. A local haunted forest or corn maze may be a better option, as long as you use a cloth face covering, practice physical distancing and proper steps are taken by the venue such as enforcing one-way walk paths.
- If you think the haunted house or activity may illicit some screaming, leave extra distance between you and the next group to lower the risk of spreading the virus.
- If you go to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard, use hand sanitizerbefore and after touching what you pick.
- Trick-or-treating may be discouraged or cancelled in some areas this year. A family scavenger hunt for treats in your home or yard can be a fun alternative.
Costumes
- See if you can incorporate your face covering into a costume, but remember, a face covering must always be made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers the mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around the face!
- Never wear protection mask under the costume mask because it can make breathing difficult especially for a child. If your child’s costume includes a face mask, better to forgo wearing it this year. Instead, children should wear a protection mask.
- Look for fabrics labeled “flame resistant” such as nylon or polyester when purchasing costumes, beards, wigs and masks. Flame resistant fabrics are not flame proof but they will resist burning and can be extinguished quickly.
- Purchase or make costumes that are light colored, bright and clearly visible to motorists. Dark colored costumes are hard to see at night.
Treats
- If your child collects treats from a few, socially distanced neighbors, you may want to wipe the packages or let them sit for a couple days before giving them to your child.
- Examine any toys or small items for young children under three years of age that may pose a choking hazard or may separate while in use and present a choking hazard.
- Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.
Drivers
- Slow down and take extra care when driving on Halloween, especially in neighborhoods and areas where there may be trick-or-treaters.
- Be careful when passing stopped vehicles. They may be stopping to let trick-or-treaters cross the road or unloading passengers. The visibility of trick-or-treaters and other pedestrians may be obstructed.
- Always look out for pedestrians, especially before turning at a green light or making a “right turn on red.”
Decorations
- Use battery operated tea-lights, LED lights or glow sticks instead of an open flame candle for your Jack-o-Lanterns. Keep your decorated Jack-o-Lanterns away from curtains, decorations or other flammable objects that could be ignited. Do not leave an open flame candle unattended.
- Keep any candles or Jack-o-Lanterns away from landings or doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flames and place them on a sturdy table.
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection serves to educate, assist and empower the State’s consumers. For more consumer protection information, call the Consumer Helpline at 800-697-1220, Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm. Consumer complaints can be filed anytime online at the Division website, www.dos.ny.gov/
NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNapoli: Local Sales Tax Collections Down for Third Quarter 2020
Sales tax revenue for local governments in New York state dropped 9.5 percent in the third quarter compared to the same period last year, according to State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Sales tax collections from July to September totaled $4.3 billion, or $452 million less than last year.
“The third quarter sales tax figures show a significant improvement from the 27.1 percent decline we saw during the second quarter of this year,” DiNapoli said. “Still, collections are down, especially in New York City, and local governments are facing serious fiscal challenges. The federal government must come up with a plan on how it is going to provide financial help to local governments during this difficult time. New York is resilient, but our local governments are hurting.”
New York City’s steep year-over-year decline of nearly 22 percent in sales tax revenue for the third quarter was the main driver behind the overall drop in local government collections. Nearly every other region of the state saw at least some increase over the third quarter of 2019, although these increases were not as strong as in the pre-COVID first quarter.
Although it is not yet clear what is driving the growth in sales tax collections outside the city, national retail sales increased by 6.4 percent in the third quarter over the same period in 2019, with particularly strong growth in building material and garden centers, sporting goods and hobby stores, and non-store (internet-based) retail.
New York City, however, was hit earliest and hardest by the pandemic, and has continued to have more restrictions on certain activities than other regions. Indoor dining, in particular, did not resume until Sept. 30, but with strict limitations. In addition, consumer spending continues to be weak and international tourism fell sharply over prior years.
For September, New York City saw a 43.9 percent decline in collections compared to the same month in 2019, while the rest of the state rose 19 percent. However, neither of these variations are likely indicative of a major change in September, as they may be the result of a quarterly reconciliation of distributions based on recent vendor payments.
Statewide, local sales tax collections declined by 11.8 percent, or $225 million, for the single month of September 2020 compared to the same month in 2019. So far in 2020, year-to-date (January through September), collections declined 11 percent or $1.5 billion compared to the same period last year.
Table
Monthly and Quarterly Local Sales Tax Collections by Region
Report
49th Precinct Community Council Meeting
As he opened the meeting 49th Precinct Community Council President Joe Thompson said that he hoped that he could continue with live meetings to inform the public about what was going on in the 49th Precinct.
Captain Natiw said that he was nearing the close of his second year as the commanding officer of the 49th Precinct. He went over the CompStat report for the previous twenty-eight days saying there was a total decrease in crime by over ten percent. He added that GLA (Grand Theft Auto) is higher than last year with a major cause being people are double parking to run into a store and leave their car running. A person will jump into the car to use it to go where they would have had to pay for a ride.
Captain Natiw gave the Cop of the Month award to Police Officer Germaine Peart for his excellent work on a case involving a couple and a gun that was recovered, and found to be used in a robbery. The pair are now in jail. Crime Prevention Officer Tyrone Mederos spoke, warning of new scams that are targeting senior citizens. He said calls, text messages, or emails are being used to say a loved one is in jail, and thousands of dollars in cash cards need to be sent to a certain location or the pin numbers via text or email. He said no government agency will ask for cash cards in lieu of payment.
After some community organization and elected official reports, having no more business the meeting was adjourned by President Thompson. The captain, and his community affairs officers remained to answer any private questions.
Above - (L - R) 49th Pct. CC Treasurer Hazel Miura, P,O, Mederos, Captain Natiw, 49 PCT. CC President Joe Thompson, P.O. Graham, 49 Pct.CC Secretary Gene De Francis.
Below - Captain Natiw going over the CompStat report.
The Cop of the Month Award to P.O. Peart.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Governor Cuomo Announces Travel Advisory Requiring 14-Day Quarantine - OCTOBER 27, 2020
California Added to NY's COVID-19 Travel Advisory; No Areas Are Removed
Non-Essential Interstate Travel To And From Massachusetts Discouraged
Positive Testing Rate in All Focus Zone Areas is 3.65 Percent; New York State Positivity Outside All Focus Zone Areas is 1.53 Percent
Statewide Positivity Rate is 1.78 Percent
15 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that California has been added to New York State's COVID-19 travel advisory. No areas have been removed. The advisory requires individuals who have traveled to New York from areas with significant community spread to quarantine for 14 days. The quarantine applies to any person arriving from an area with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or an area with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.
Neighboring state Massachusetts now meets the criteria for the travel advisory, in addition to Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania - however, given the interconnected nature of the region and mode of transport between the states, a quarantine on these states is not practically viable. That said, New York State highly discourages, to the extent practical, non-essential travel between Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania while they meet the travel advisory criteria.
"We know COVID is spreading at increased rates in other states and New York State is not in a hermetically sealed bubble. The numbers are a reminder that COVID is still here and continues to spread in communities across the state, particularly when people choose not to follow the safety protocols in place to control the virus. We continue to see outbreaks linked to mass gatherings at houses of worship, at weddings and funerals, and other events where the virus can quickly spread," Governor Cuomo said. "Now, 45 states and territories meet the requirements for our travel advisory. We cannot let our guard down and risk going backwards in New York. It's going to take the work of all of us to remain vigilant. Stay NY Smart - wear a mask, socially distance and follow the public health guidance. It's there to save lives."
Since Guam and Puerto Rico are on the list the only six states that travel is not restricted from are Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
The Governor noted that the positive testing rate in all focus areas under the state's Micro-Cluster strategy is 3.65 percent, and outside the focus zone areas is 1.53 percent. Within the focus areas, 13,205 test results were reported yesterday, yielding 482 positives. In the remainder of the state, not counting these focus areas, 98,413 test results were reported, yielding 1,509 positives.
Today's data is summarized briefly below:
- Patient Hospitalization - 1,083 (+24)
- Patients Newly Admitted - 110
- Hospital Counties - 47
- Number ICU - 233 (-4)
- Number ICU with Intubation - 120 (+2)
- Total Discharges - 79,230 (+68)
- Deaths - 15
- Total Deaths - 25,758
BETTER BUSES RESTART: NEW YORK CITY ANNOUNCES EXTENSION OF HYLAN BOULEVARD BUS LANES TO PROVIDE FASTER, MORE RELIABLE SERVICE FOR STATEN ISLANDERS
- Northbound bus lane: Nelson Avenue to Lincoln Avenue Hours in effect: 6 AM – 9 AM, M-F
- Southbound bus lane: Lincoln Avenue to Guyon Avenue Hours in effect: 3 PM – 7 PM, M-F
- Emergency vehicles are permitted to access the bus lane, and vehicles may use the bus lane to make a right turn