Tue, May 19th 2020 12:10 pm
Coronavirus stats for May 19
|
Tue, May 19th 2020 11:55 am
On Monday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the state is bringing in international experts to help advise the state's reopening plan. Dr. Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and Dr. Samir Bhatt, senior lecturer at Imperial College London, will work with the state to provide technical advice and analyze data/metrics throughout the state's reopening process and help track the state's progress.
|
Tue, May 19th 2020 11:55 am
New York State Sen. Chris Jacobs has introduced legislation (S8327) to protect the privacy rights of New York residents as the state begins to engage in contact tracing efforts as a key part of its reopening strategy.
|
Tue, May 19th 2020 11:55 am
Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced felony hearings and pleas will resume - in a virtual courtroom setting - in criminal cases in Erie County this week as New York state comes off Gov. Andrew Cuomo's "PAUSE" executive order.
|
Mon, May 18th 2020 08:55 pm
The New York State Department of Labor on Monday announced $9.2 billion in unemployment benefits have been paid to New Yorkers since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This figure includes nearly $290 million in back pay that was processed in the past two weeks and which was unlocked through a new, streamlined process that allows New Yorkers to easily submit federally mandated weekly certifications they had missed, unlocking previous weeks' benefits.
|
Mon, May 18th 2020 05:10 pm
The Niagara County Community College Workforce Development Department, in conjunction with the NCCC Small Business Development Center, will offer virtual training classes for businesses throughout Western New York to prepare for reopening.
|
Mon, May 18th 2020 05:10 pm
The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application and detailed instructions for the application.
|
Mon, May 18th 2020 05:05 pm
Following approval from the New York State Department of Health to resume elective surgeries in Catholic Health on May 5, the health system expects to complete a full caseload of procedures this week. Catholic Health began a limited elective surgery schedule last week, after becoming the first hospital system in Erie County to receive a waiver from the Department of Health to begin performing procedures that have been suspended since early March.
|
Mon, May 18th 2020 03:20 pm
The Niagara County Community College Small Business Development Center (SBDC), in conjunction with NCCC Workforce Development will hold a free online training workshop for Western New York businesses to help them prepare for reopening. It will be held from 9-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 27. The presentation will be repeated later the same day from 1-3:30 p.m.
|
Mon, May 18th 2020 02:40 pm
Starting Tuesday, May 19, the Erie County Department of Health will offer a series of clinics for COVID-19 antibody testing.
|
Mon, May 18th 2020 12:35 pm
Coronavirus stats for May 18
|
Mon, May 18th 2020 12:05 pm
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said Western New York will enter into phase one of his "New York Forward" reopening on Tuesday. Nonessential services have been closed since March 20, when Cuomo put "New York State on PAUSE" to slow the spread of COVID-19.
|
Mon, May 18th 2020 11:15 am
In a conference call Monday morning with the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul offered additional details on what phase one of "New York Forward" entails. She is head of the "control room" monitoring when Western New York can begin to exit Gov. Andrew Cuomo's "New York State on PAUSE" shutdown.
|
Mon, May 18th 2020 09:55 am
Integer, which includes Greatbatch Medical, Lake Region Medical and Electrochem, recently donated 1,000 face shields to the Kaleida Health workforce battling COVID-19. The company plans to donate another 1,000 face shields in the coming weeks. (Photo courtesy of Kaleida Health)
|
Sun, May 17th 2020 02:25 pm
On Sunday, the governor's office posted a site where people can find coronavirus test sites by ZIP code.
|
Sun, May 17th 2020 12:35 pm
Western New York is poised to come off Gov. Andrew Cuomo's "New York State on PAUSE" executive order.
|
Sat, May 16th 2020 11:25 am
Congressman Brian Higgins, D-NY-26, announced Friday the House of Representatives approved the Heroes Act, the fourth emergency bill directed at addressing the resources and relief needed by to communities battling COVID-19.
|
Fri, May 15th 2020 07:30 pm
"The New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Heroes Act, a fifth stimulus proposal that includes funding for the essential public employees providing essential services in our communities. This legislation includes direct and flexible recovery aid to states and local governments - including counties.
"We now urge the U.S. Senate and President Trump to coalesce around a bipartisan agreement as soon as possible so that counties can continue to battle the pandemic while we safely reopen our economies at the local level."
|
Fri, May 15th 2020 04:50 pm
New York Attorney General Letitia James and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Friday announced the state has again renewed an order to halt the collection of medical and student debt owed to New York that was specifically referred to the office of the attorney general (OAG) for collection for an additional 30-day period.
|
Fri, May 15th 2020 04:35 pm
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday took five New York state regions off his "PAUSE" list, allowing them to reopen.
|
Fri, May 15th 2020 04:30 pm
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday outlined additional safety measures businesses should employ once they are allowed to enter phase one of his reopening procedure:
|
Fri, May 15th 2020 03:55 pm
Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz on Friday issued a local emergency order regarding the usage of face coverings and masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") has recommended wearing cloth face coverings which cover the nose and mouth in order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus as an additional public health measure along with social distancing, frequent hand washing, and other preventive actions.
|
Fri, May 15th 2020 01:55 pm
Acting on a commitment to coordinate regional policies in response to COVID-19, Govs. Andrew M. Cuomo, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Ned Lamont of Connecticut and John Carney of Delaware on Friday announced a multistate agreement to reopen public and private beaches with certain restrictions in place effective, Friday, May 22. They said this approach will better align the states' policies ahead of the summer months.
|
Fri, May 15th 2020 11:50 am
Coronavirus stats for May 15
|
Thu, May 14th 2020 09:00 pm
Stephen Hanse, president and CEO of the New York State Health Facilities Association and the New York State Center for Assisted Living, issued the following statement in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's COVID-19 testing requirement for nursing home and assisted living employees:
|
Thu, May 14th 2020 08:45 pm
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Thursday announced New York has issued first-in-the-nation criteria to health care professionals establishing an interim case definition for COVID-related inflammatory illness in children. The criteria establishes a new name for the syndrome - pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome - and a definition of what symptoms health care providers should look for. Case definitions also help standardize tracking and reporting and can help ensure a better health outcome.
|
Thu, May 14th 2020 12:10 pm
Coronavirus stats for May 14
|
Thu, May 14th 2020 11:50 am
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Catholic Charities has been committed, now more than ever, to serve as a beacon of hope to our neighbors in need. In the last eight weeks, we have provided 6,081 services to more than 3,900 individuals and families throughout Niagara County.
|
Thu, May 14th 2020 11:15 am
On Thursday, New York State Sen. Rob Ortt was joined by his colleagues, Sens. Pat Gallivan and Chris Jacobs, in requesting a formal, independent investigation into New York state's nursing homes. The request for this investigation was made to the New York State Senate Health Committee, the New York State Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, and the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
|
Thu, May 14th 2020 10:20 am
Kaleida Health and CWA Local 1168 have teamed up to offer a new mental health resource to employees on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. A team of licensed trauma therapists, The Western New York Trauma Recovery Network Association, is now providing pro bono eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy via telehealth to health care workers and first-responders who have been impacted by COVID-19.
|
Wed, May 13th 2020 03:45 pm
The New York State Department of Labor on Wednesday announced that, in just over a month, more than 330,000 New Yorkers have been approved for the pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) program, which provides unemployment benefits to individuals who do not qualify for traditional unemployment insurance. In total, the Department of Labor has now paid $7.4 billion in unemployment benefits to New Yorkers since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March - three-and-a-half times the total paid in benefits last year.
|
Wed, May 13th 2020 02:15 pm
On Wednesday, the Niagara County Center for Economic Development noted that, "as Niagara County and Western New York prepare to reopen, it is vital that all businesses have a reopening plan, which implements guidelines and protocols to ensure the health and safety of all employees and customers."
|
Wed, May 13th 2020 02:10 pm
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday announced that, as of today, the North Country has met all seven metrics required to begin phase one of the state's regional phased reopening plan when "New York State on PAUSE" orders expire on May 15. The area joins the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions.
|
Wed, May 13th 2020 12:35 pm
The state's enacted budget financial plan anticipates a dire fiscal outlook in state fiscal year (SFY) 2020-21 and projects sweeping budget cuts that could affect essential services provided by the state, schools and local governments, according to an analysis released by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
|
Wed, May 13th 2020 12:35 pm
Stephen Hanse, president and CEO of the New York State Health Facilities Association and the New York State Center for Assisted Living, representing over 400 skilled nursing providers and adult care/assisted living communities, issued the following statement on Tuesday:
|
Wed, May 13th 2020 12:35 pm
The Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day has been canceled for 2020 due to social distancing requirements in New York state because of COVID-19. The DD Awareness Day committee unanimously voted to cancel this year's events.
|
Wed, May 13th 2020 12:00 pm
During the COVID-19 pandemic, drive-thrus are common for COVID-19 testing - and now for eye-pressure tests, as well. UBMD Ophthalmology at the Ross Eye Institute is offering glaucoma patients an alternative to in-office visits for their care with drive-up eye pressure testing.
|
Wed, May 13th 2020 11:45 am
Erie County Medical Center Corp. today announced 10 community health center and primary care practice organizations have been approved to receive $2.3 million in Delivery Service Reform Incentive Program (DSRIP) funds to support COVID-19 testing at 27 sites and from three mobile units operating in 17 priority ZIP codes in Western New York: Amherst, Buffalo, Dunkirk, Jamestown, Lockport, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda, Wheatfield and Williamsville.
|
Wed, May 13th 2020 11:40 am
Coronavirus stats for May 13.
|
Wed, May 13th 2020 11:20 am
Congressman Brian Higgins, D-NY-26, on Wednesday outlined components of the Heroes Act, the latest emergency package constructed to provide relief to workers, families, small businesses and communities impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
|