City of Rye Coronavirus Update

Press release from the City of Rye:

We passed our darkest day of the year, Monday, with flying colors and now Christmas, and then Kwanzaa, are upon us. Much joy to all celebrating!

Please do celebrate, but celebrate small and with care. At 78 active Rye cases, we are coming down from our post-Thanksgiving high, but Thanksgiving seems to have made quite a few people ill. We can do better.

Watch any tv news program these days and you will see someone getting a shot. That's heartening. It is more than heartening. It means our year (yes, it will be a year, at least) of being dominated by the Coronavirus should actually end. Are you dancing an anticipatory jig? Can you imagine? Real life will return!

The missing news for most of us, though, is when we will be able to get our own shot. Here's what we do know: vaccinations have started with nursing homes, vulnerable individuals and healthcare workers - the latter defined to include a variety of occupations, but beginning with hospital staffs and EMS responders. There are estimated to be more than two million healthcare workers in New York State. Bless them, they need and deserve their vaccinations, but it is going to take a little while to reach the next category, other "essential" workers. Here, there's definitional work to be done by New York State. We still don't know for sure who are essential workers for New York State vaccination purposes. Even before knowing that final definition, however, we know that taking care of this group is also going to put a lot of needles in the sharps box. After essential workers, vaccination will at long last reach people 65 and older, and people with high risk medical conditions. And then, in some shape or fashion, the rest of us. Good news the vaccines are, but they are good news in slow motion.

The slowness of the vaccination program, its opaqueness and its vital importance all provide a fertile ground for fraud. Please watch out for people offering to sell access to vaccinations or using vaccination as a phishing ploy of one kind or another. Hold your personal information close. Don't slip and fall into a vaccine-baited fraud! If in doubt, check with your healthcare provider or the County or State health departments. Please report suspected fraud to the County Consumer Protection Department, 914-995-2155.

There is a very special good deed out there for the taking. If you have had COVID, you may be eligible to donate "convalescent plasma," to be used to treat patients ill with the disease. In order to donate, you must be at least 14-days post-symptoms, have documentation showing a positive COVID test and meet other conditions. Please click here forinformation from the New York Blood Center.

A recent NYS executive order gives the City the ability to ease during the pandemic certain in-person renewal filing requirements for continuation of STAR tax exemptions, Enhanced STAR Exemptions (senior citizens), Senior Tax Exemptions and Disability Tax Abatements . I will be asking the City Council to pass the necessary resolution to provide this relief at the next Council meeting.

We on the City Council usually host a holiday luncheon, a truly enjoyable event, in City Hall for the entire City staff. It is a good occasion to thank the City's employees for the tremendous effort they make to provide excellent municipal services. Here again, COVID ate our lunch. In the absence of the event, however, I will take a few bits and bytes to express appreciation and admiration for all our staff does. This theme carries over, naturally, to the volunteers who populate our City commissions and committees. Thanks to all!

Speaking of thanks, I was on the receiving end of a letter of thanks posted in The Rye Record last week. More than "you're welcome," let me fire thanks back to all those who were part of that heartening surprise.

Sad, but necessary: the parking meters turn on again next Monday.

There is a storm warning posted for tomorrow evening, Christmas Eve. Take appropriate care, please.

The new year is just around the corner, still front-end loaded with COVID, but full of great promise, nonetheless. We made it this far together. We will share that promise together.

Mayor Josh Cohn

Useful Contacts:

• People under self-quarantine or exposure to known case, call (866) 588-0195 or 2-1-1 to self-report
• NYS Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline (888) 364-3065
• Westchester County COVID-19 Information Call 211
• COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for mental health counseling.

CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/media/dpk/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus-2020.html
NY Dept of Health Coronavirus Update
https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home
NY Dept of Health Contacts
https://health.ny.gov/contact/contact_information/
County COVID Updates
https://health.westchestergov.com/2019-novel-coronavirus

This press release was produced by the City of Rye.The views expressed here are the author’s own.