NY Covid News Superthread

[KarenK 382]

5 minutes ago, Chris said:

They backed off from that.

I figured they would.  Of all the bizarre things to suddenly mandate a year and a half later.   This state. 🤯

[TTL News 306]

Friday afternoon, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that barring any objection from the CDC, mask mandates for all New York schools and camps will be lifted effective Monday, June 7. This comes as the governor also announced that the state's current infection rate remains at a record low level, 0.42%

In a letter to the CDC, New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker noted an inconsistency in CDC guidance between children who are unvaccinated at summer camps and the current rules for unvaccinated children at schools:

Quote

 

As we continue to work to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and balance reopening with safety, New York State strives for consistency across and between settings with similar risk levels and populations," Zucker wrote.

"The current CDC guidance for K-12 schools recommends a requirement for 'consistent and correct use of well-fitting face masks with proper filtration by all students, teachers, and staff. There is no distinction between mask wearing for indoor versus outdoor activities (except for a vague reference to sports) and it does not address vaccinated individuals.

On the other hand, current CDC guidance for youth camps “strongly encourages mask use indoors for people who are not "fully vaccinated" while stating that outdoors, “people do not need to wear masks [irrespective of vaccination status] although people who are not fully vaccinated are “encouraged” to wear a mask in certain higher-risk circumstances. In addition, it says “people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear masks” both indoors and outdoors.

As many camps take place on school grounds, both serve school-age children, and the end of the school year/start of the camp season both occur in June, New York State plans to align our school and camp mask guidance as follows.

 

Zucker went on to advise the CDC that the minimum state-wide guidance will be:

• Indoors, mask use will be strongly encouraged but not required for students, campers, and staff/teachers/counselors who are not fully vaccinated.
• Outdoors, masks are not required; students, campers, and staff/teachers/counselors who are not fully vaccinated are “encouraged” to wear a mask in certain higher-risk circumstances.
• Both indoors and outdoors, students, campers, and staff who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear masks.
• Schools and camps may choose to implement stricter standards.

Here in Chemung County, while masks are still encouraged by the Department of Health, County officials say schools will adopt the above measures beginning Monday. 

[Chris 2,151]

I'm glad to hear this. The mask is wreaking havoc on my skin as the days get hotter.

[KarenK 382]

11 minutes ago, Chris said:

I'm glad to hear this. The mask is wreaking havoc on my skin as the days get hotter.

Ambivalent about this one.  With the "high risk" grand daughter back to school this makes me a bit nervous.  There is only one eligible to be vaxxed and she hasn't although she indicated she wanted to because of the masks.  Probably won't now and she lives with the high risk child.  

[Linda Roorda 127]

Glad to hear this, but...  My husband has had problems breathing with it on - gets very hot, sweaty and clammy, feels like he can't catch his breath. Tho he only goes out to doctors' offices, he'll have to keep wearing it. With both of us having been vaccinated, it'll be a nice respite for me as a sub in the schools here, and hope the vaccine is truly safe and effective because covid would be deadly for him.

[Kevin 334]

Amazon sells a thing the attaches to your mask that holds it away from your face. It makes it easier to breath for those having issues. It gives a little bit of room so you don't breath right onto the mask. 

You can get them here. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GNX8KZP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_NVAHQYRHQJJY6TN2MK1T?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[TTL News 306]

Despite an announcement on Friday that mask mandates would be lifted for schools across New York State tomorrow, masks will remain mandatory for a while longer due to a conflict of opinion among state agencies. 

School districts across the state were advised today by the New York State Department of Education that masks must continue to be worn until further direction is released by that agency as well as the New York State Department of Health. 

As area schools scramble to advise families of this sudden change, some will be taking the high temperatures forecast for tomorrow into consideration and relaxing the mandate for recess and any other outdoor activities. 

This is a developing situation so watch this site for updates. 

[Adam 372]

saw on the FB one parent bemoaning kids having to wear the masks in classes where there is no A/C and they wont have "mask breaks"....

umm id be more pissed and questioning why the schools are not running A/C in classes than little paper masks. 

And of course ya have the Hhds politician making political hay with hypocritical posts against masks

 

[Kevin 334]

Most of the schools in this area were built before A/C was available. The district is retro fitting the buildings, but it takes time because it is so expensive and requires so much work to a building. 

[Chris 2,151]

Quote

 

11 hours ago,  Adam said: 

And of course ya have the Hhds politician making political hay with hypocritical posts against masks

 

What cracks me up is his constant, 'When is county leadership going to..." and I'm like, is the county legislature not county leadership anymore? Reminds me of a puffed up bird attacking the bird he sees in the mirror. Not that the county has any say in the matter to begin with, but must be someone's up for re-election soon. 

Quote

 

1 hour ago,  Kevin said: 

Most of the schools in this area were built before A/C was available.

 

I recall when I was at EFA they could "turn on the chillers" after Memorial Day. Adult me says that was a load of crap and we ate it by the bowl full. 😄

[Chris 2,151]

Quote

 

On Monday, Governor Cuomo said that masks would no longer be required for outdoor activities at schools, but they would still be required inside. Cuomo argued that there had been “no confusion” in the guidance, saying that the state planned to released updated guidelines on Monday after speaking to the CDC; however, the letter released Friday by Dr. Zucker said the state planned to make the no-mask guidance “effective on Monday, 7”.

Monday, the Governor argued that removing masks indoors would be “difficult” due to possible reconfigurations of areas such as classrooms, something that was reportedly brought up in discussions with the CDC.

Source

 

Nah, no confusion... nothing to see here. 

 

[MsKreed 1,167]

24 minutes ago, Chris said:

Monday, the Governor argued that removing masks indoors would be “difficult” due to possible reconfigurations of areas such as classrooms, something that was reportedly brought up in discussions with the CDC.

Aren't classrooms (as well as cafeterias, buses and offices) still "reconfigured" to the social distancing capacities?

[Adam 372]

14 hours ago, Kevin said:

Most of the schools in this area were built before A/C was available. The district is retro fitting the buildings, but it takes time because it is so expensive and requires so much work to a building. 

millions of taxpayer dollars and grants might have been better spent remedying the atmospherics instead of new athletic fields and administrative expenditures then

 

[Chris 2,151]

23 hours ago, Adam said:

millions of taxpayer dollars and grants might have been better spent remedying the atmospherics instead of new athletic fields and administrative expenditures then

 

Consider this then :

“We have been working hard to build air conditioning projects into our capital construction work with some of that slated to take place in this round of capital work.”

[Adam 372]

On 6/8/2021 at 9:55 PM, Chris said:

Consider this then :

“We have been working hard to build air conditioning projects into our capital construction work with some of that slated to take place in this round of capital work.”

not as hard as building sports complexes into capital budgets apparently

 

[Chris 2,151]

We survived, the kids today will too.

[TTL News 306]

After more than a year, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced yesterday that COVID-19 restrictions were to be lifted immediately as 70 percent of New Yorkers aged 18 or older have received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccination series.

The State's health guidance and New York Forward industry specific guidelines—including social gathering limits, capacity restrictions, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing—are now optional for retail, food services, offices, gyms and fitness centers, amusement and family entertainment, hair salons, barber shops and personal care services, among other commercial settings. 

Unvaccinated individuals continue to be responsible for wearing masks, in accordance with federal CDC guidance. Consistent with the State's implementation of the recent CDC guidance, masks are still required for unvaccinated individuals. Further, the State's health guidelines continue to be in effect for large-scale indoor event venues, pre-K to grade 12 schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes, and health care settings per CDC guidelines.

"What New York has done is extraordinary. Not only do we have the lowest COVID positivity rate in the United States of America, we have hit 70 percent vaccination ahead of schedule. We successfully deployed the weapon that will win the war, and New York led the nation," Governor Cuomo said. "We led with nurse Sandra Lindsay, who was the first at Northwell to take that vaccine and to assure people it was safe. We've gone on to do more than 20 million vaccines, more per capita than any big state in the United States of America. Congratulations to New Yorkers because they are the ones who did it. We're no longer just surviving—we're thriving. The state mandates that have proven right and brought us through this pandemic are relaxed as of today, effective immediately."

In a separate press release, Senator Tom O'Mara said, “We have demonstrated that by working together, pulling for each other, and staying informed, our communities will be resilient and never lose hope in recovering. The work of rebuilding and restoring the lives of our communities should begin in earnest now and it needs to be delivered through local decision-making.  We have reached the point of being able to fully declare an end to the state of emergency that has ruled our lives since last March.  We have reached the point of fully rescinding Governor Cuomo’s unilateral emergency powers."

“It is time to restore legislative checks and balances, and local input," he added. 

[Ann 262]

I agree with Senator O’Mara.  The time has come to rescind Cuomo’s emergency powers and ending the state of emergency.  Let’s see how long that will take.

[TTL News 306]

Quote

 

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City will soon require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone who wants to dine indoors at a restaurant, see a performance or go to the gym, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday, making it the first big city in the U.S. to impose such restrictions.

The new requirement, which will be phased in over several weeks in August and September, is the most aggressive step the city has taken yet to curb a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant. People will have to show proof that they have had at least one dose of a vaccine.

“The only way to patronize these establishments indoors will be if you’re vaccinated,” de Blasio said. “The goal here is to convince everyone that this is the time. If we’re going to stop the Delta variant, the time is now. And that means getting vaccinated right now.”

 

See the rest here.

[KarenK 382]

Nail in the coffin for a great many of those restaurants and other establishments.  Either no one is going to go because they don't want to show proof, or get tested, or someone is going to get killed when they tell the wrong person they can't come in without proof of vax.

[Chris 2,151]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. My solution would be to just stop going out to eat, at least dine in. But then we don't go out a whole lot in the first place, so easy for me to say I guess. But the toll on the businesses could be catastrophic. 

[KarenK 382]

1 hour ago, Chris said:

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. My solution would be to just stop going out to eat, at least dine in. But then we don't go out a whole lot in the first place, so easy for me to say I guess. But the toll on the businesses could be catastrophic. 

And you are aware I help keep those places in business.  lol.  Cooking all week just aint gonna happen.

[Kevin 334]

You can still support the businesses by using something like Door Dash.

[Mahatma 31]

If masks worked the first time, why do it again?   If masks did not work the first time, why do it again?  This has never been about stopping the spread.  Divide and dehumanize!   

[Mahatma 31]

At what point do you see airlines not allow non-vaccinated people on their planes?  at what point do you see cities not allowing non-vaccinated people the ability to ride the bus or the subway?  i say by the end of this year!   What say you?