COVID-19 Update on May 24th

Senator David Carlucci

May 24, 2020

Memorial Day Weekend; Coronavirus; COVID-19; Small Businesses

Dear Neighbor,

I hope you are enjoying Memorial Day Weekend and spending time relaxing with family. We keep those in our thoughts who have been impacted by COVID-19 or who are recovering now.

In this new normal, we sadly cannot hold large parades or ceremonies to honor our fallen service members. However, local governments can host small Memorial Day ceremonies of 10 people or less, and many can be watched online. I joined the Town of Clarkstown for their salute to our fallen service members, and if you have a moment, you can watch the highlights in this CBS2 report: http://ow.ly/1Dtz50zOEO9. You can also watch Westchester County’s Ceremony here: http://ow.ly/ZlC950zOEOv.

We can also honor our fallen by giving back and serving our communities in these difficult times. Additionally, Rockland County has Rockland’s veterans cemeteries open to visitors to drive through to pay their respects and flags have been placed at every veteran's grave.

It’s important that we all remember the choice that men and women make to join the armed forces to protect our freedom and democracy. We owe them a debt of gratitude, and I encourage everyone to take a moment this weekend to thank our active and retired military personnel.

LATEST UPDATES

Mid-Hudson Region Makes Progress Towards Reopening

The Governor announced that the Mid-Hudson Region, which includes Rockland and Westchester Counties, may be eligible for Phase 1 of reopening as soon as Tuesday. To be eligible for reopening, we must ensure our contact tracers are trained and ready to go.

Westchester and Rockland hospitals can resume elective surgeries, and construction staging is now permitted region-wide.

Hospital Visitation Pilot Announced

Countless residents in Rockland and Westchester Counties could not be with a family member during their final moments because of COVID-19, and it caused unimaginable grief. In response to my call and the calls of families across the state, the Governor announced a two-week pilot program in 16 hospitals across the state to allow increased visitation for family members and loved ones.

Watch The Story on Fox 5

As part of the program, visits will be time-limited and visitors must wear Personal Protective Equipment and are subject to temperature checks. Westchester Medical Center is among the 16 hospitals who will be changing their visitation policies.

NY Provides Support for Small Businesses

The Governor launched the New York Forward Loan Fund, which will provide more than $100 million in flexible and affordable loans to help small businesses across the state. The funding will be available to small businesses with 20 or fewer employees and gross revenues of less than $3 million. Minority and women owned businesses (MBWEs) will be prioritized for the funding, as well as small businesses that did not receive federal COVID-19 assistance.

If you believe your business qualifies, you can apply for these loans, here. Additionally, the Governor has extended the sales tax filing deadline from May 19 to June 22 to assist small businesses.

Last week, I participated in the NYS Legislature's hearing on addressing financial relief for small businesses and advocated for new legislation that I introduced to reduce skyrocketing unemployment insurance costs. Learn more about my efforts here: http://ow.ly/uE6R50zOG2f.

COVID-19 TESTING

New York is performing 40,000 COVID-19 tests per day at more than 700 testing centers across the state. Most individuals seeking testing will now be eligible. For more information, click here or see the list my office has compiled, here: http://ow.ly/7Gwn50zOGM3.

Testing 2

The State is partnering with CVS Pharmacies to bring more accessible testing to our communities. I was successful in working with the Governor's office to get two of the new sites in Ossining and Briarcliff Manor, which will offer self-swab tests to residents at their drive-thru pharmacy windows. Testing will begin on Friday, May 29th and an appointment is required online, here: http://ow.ly/zoOu50zOGme. If you have any questions, you can contact the CVS Pharmacy at either location directly. If you are in need of health insurance or need testing and do not have health insurance, please contact my office.

Locations:

CVS Pharmacy, 202 South Highland Avenue, Ossining, NY 10562

CVS Pharmacy, 1856 Pleasantville Road, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10150

Contact Tracing Calls

Contact tracing is underway across the State. Contact tracing works by locating COVID-positive individuals, determining who they may have come into contact with, and alerting those individuals to their exposure. To do this, contact tracers will be placing calls to New Yorkers that they believe may have been exposed. If you receive a call from "NYS Contact Tracing," it is not a scam! You will be told about your possible contact with a COVID-positive person and asked who you have been in contact with to further track the spread of the virus. If we can track and quarantine positive cases, we can work to stop the spread of the virus.

Addressing Outstanding Unemployment Claims

My staff and I know how frustrating the situation with filing for unemployment has been. Unfortunately, the system was not prepared for the record number of applicants. We know that NYS DOL has extended hours, hired more staff, and upgraded their systems. We advocate for every resident to be contacted by their office to get claims processed and payments made. We understand that the NYS DOL has not been quick. We are on your side and continue to follow up with them diligently and have had hundreds of cases closed.

To date, New York State has paid out $9.2 billion in unemployment claims to more than 2 million New Yorkers. The Governor's office has told us that claims older than 3 weeks that have not been addressed maybe be due to suspected fraud, missing information in the application, or uncertified claims. If you are still waiting to receive your unemployment benefits, you can contact my office.

You can also seek assistance from the Legal Aid Society of Rockland County. Their experienced attorneys can assist you, if you were turned down for unemployment insurance or public benefits at no charge. You can reach them at (845) 634-3627 or info@legalaidrockland.org.

Important COVID-19 Benefits

Summer School will be Online

The Governor has announced that summer school will be entirely remote, and at this time it is too early to make a determination on what the fall semester will look like.

Limited Religious Gatherings

The Governor announced that religious gatherings of no more than ten people are allowed. These gatherings must comply with social distancing measures and all participants must wear masks. The Governor is allowing and encouraging faith-based leaders to host drive-in or parking lot services where participants can remain in their cars.

My Office is Here to Help

Please remember my staff is working remotely and has closed hundreds of cases since the start of the pandemic. We are here to assist with unemployment claims, health insurance enrollment, local resources and services, and any challenges you may encounter during the pandemic.

Commonly Asked Questions on COVID-19:

https://health.westchestergov.com/images/stories/PDF/20200317nyscovid.pdf

For the latest updates, you can: