Press release:

National Grid is increasing staffing and closely monitoring Friday’s weather forecast (March 20), which calls for high winds, with gusts of up to 60 mph, across portions of Upstate New York. The company’s field force is at normal staffing levels and remains at the ready if the storm impacts service. Customers are encouraged to keep safety a priority with the following reminders:

           Electricity & Generator Safety

• If a power outage occurs, customers can notify National Grid online to expedite restoration.

• Never touch downed power lines; always assume they are carrying live electricity. Downed power lines should immediately be reported to National Grid at 1-800-867-5222 or by calling 9-1-1.

• Generators used to supply power during an outage must be operated outdoors to prevent the buildup of deadly carbon monoxide. Before operating a generator, be sure todisconnect from National Grid’s system by shutting off the main breaker, located in theelectric service panel. Failure to do this could endanger our crews and your neighbors.

• Customers who depend on electrically powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should register as a life support customer by calling National Grid at 1-800-642-4272. In a medical emergency, always dial 9-1-1.

• Keep working flashlights and an extra supply of batteries in your home and be sure to charge all electronic devices before the storm.

• Please use caution when driving near emergency responders and crews restoring power.

• Be sure to check on elderly family members, neighbors and others who may need assistance during an outage.

  Stay informed and connected

  Information on National Grid’s pandemic preparedness and a customer Q&A can be found here.

• Customers with active electricity accounts who text "REG" to 64743 can have personalized alerts sent to them via text, email or phone call when we detect an outage on their properties.

• Customers also can text "OUT" to 64743 to report an outage.

• For real-time power outage information, online outage reporting, and in-depth storm safety information, visit National Grid’s Outage Central website. Customers who create an online profile also can sign up for email alerts.

• Visit our website.

Press release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today (March 19) announced a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to help facilitate the identification of foreign and domestic workers that may be available and eligible to transfer to other U.S. agricultural sector employers to fulfill critical workforce needs within the United States under existing regulatory authority during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ensuring minimal disruption for our agricultural workforce during these uncertain times is a top priority for this administration,” Secretary Perdue said. “President Trump knows that these workers are critical to maintaining our food supply and our farmers and ranchers are counting on their ability to work. We will continue to work to make sure our supply chain is impacted as minimally as possible.”

“American farmers and ranchers are at the frontlines of maintaining the nation’s food supply,” Secretary Scalia said. “In these unprecedented times, it is critical for them to have the workforce they need. This new partnership between USDA and DOL will help support our farmers, ranchers, and American families.”

Background

USDA and DOL have identified nearly 20,000 H-2A and H-2B certified positions that have expiring contracts in the coming weeks. There will be workers leaving these positions who could be available to transfer to a different employer’s labor certification. The data, available on www.farmers.gov/manage/h2a, includes the number of certified worker positions, the current employer name and contact, attorney/agent name and contact, and the worksite address

This information will be a resource to H-2A employers whose workforce has been delayed because of travel restrictions or visa processing limitations. Employers should be aware that all statutory and regulatory requirements continue to apply. Employers are encouraged to monitor www.travel.state.gov for the latest information and should monitor the relevant Embassy/Consular websites for specific operational information.

This is a recording of today's press briefing. Key points:

• There is still just one test-positive case of COVID-19 in Genesee County.  
• There are now 15 people under mandatory quarantine (10 yesterday).  Some of those people are symptomatic. None of the test results are back yet for the people who are symptomatic. The five additional people in quarantine are as a result of the ongoing case tracing by health department staff to identify people who were in contact with the positive case.
• There is a person from Orleans County who tested positive. That person was not symptomatic when that person traveled to another state on vacation. That person became symptomatic while on vacation. That person, who is at least 60 years old, is now in quarantine in that state. The health department is working to find out who that person might have had contact with before leaving on vacation.
• The ability to test is still limited and that is frustrating, said Paul Pettit, director of public health.
• People can get tested by their doctors. Providers also get test kits through their health care networks but those kits are also in limited supply.  Doctors are putting people into quarantine but the health department would only be notified of a positive test result so the health department does not have a count on people who might be in quarantine on a doctor's orders.

 Update: 4:30 p.m.

From Deanna Cohen: Today by noon, we had 206,080 logins to our website and 159,000 calls.

---------------

The New York State Department of Labor’s staff is being stretched to the limit – and beyond – as thousands of displaced and laid off workers are filing for unemployment benefits.

“Currently, our New York State Department of Labor website is averaging 250,000 logins per day -- a 400 percent increase over the normal average – and we’re seeing over a 1000 percent increase in claims in some areas across the state,” Deanna Cohen, NYS Department of Labor deputy director of communications, told The Batavian this afternoon.

Cohen said the agency is taking major steps to address what she called “this unprecedented increase.”

“We have added server capacity, bandwidth, and dedicated more than 700 staff members to address the influx,” she said, noting that on Tuesday the department received 75,000 calls – about 65,000 more than the number of calls received on an average day. “We are also hiring an additional 65 plus more individuals to address the surge and will be hiring more as we are able.”

She made it a point to say that all New Yorkers will get the benefits they are entitled to; even if they file next week, they will receive their FULL benefit back to the date of unemployment.

Cohen said readers should be aware of the federal government’s enactment of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which includes extended unemployment benefits.

“New Yorkers do not need to do anything new -- if the state qualifies for extended benefits, those benefits will be provided automatically,” she reported. “So if individuals are calling with questions about extended unemployment insurance benefits, they should hang up and go to our website at www.labor.ny.gov for more information. This will help keep these phone lines available for their fellow New Yorkers who need to file new claims.”

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley has supported the bipartisan bill A.10153 that will extend financial coverage to individuals under government-mandated quarantine for COVID-19, or coronavirus. It has been signed by the governor.

The bill temporarily expands eligibility for the state’s paid family leave program to include coverage for individuals under government-mandated quarantine and unable to work.

“I’m glad to see that a reasonable compromise could be reached in the face of this healthcare crisis,” Hawley said. “Our job as legislators is to ease the lives of the citizens we represent, and in a time when jobs are on the line, money is a concern and the future seems uncertain, this is one step toward making the survival of this crisis easier.”

DECLARATION OF A LOCAL STATE OF EMERGENCY

A State of Emergency is hereby declared in the TOWN OF LE ROY, effective at 12 p.m. today, March 19, 2020.

This State of Emergency has been declared due to the existing and continuing declared States of Emergency at the Federal, State, County, and Town of Le Roy, related to COVID-19.

This situation threatens the public safety.

This State of Emergency will remain in effect for thirty (30) days or until rescinded by a subsequent order.

As the Chief Executive of TOWN OF LEROY, County of Genesee, State of New York, I, James R. Farnholz,exercise the authority given me under Section 24 of the New York State Executive Law, to preserve the public safety and hereby render all required and available assistance vital to the security, well-being, and health of the citizens of this Municipality.

I hereby direct all departments and agencies of TOWN OF LEROY to take whatever steps necessary to protect life and property, public infrastructure, and provide such emergency assistance deemed necessary.

James R. Farnholz

Le Roy Town Supervisor

March 19, 2020

Interview with Bill Hume, owner of Foxprowl Collectables.

Press release:

The 18th annual Celebrate Agriculture Dinner originally scheduled for April 18 has been postponed indefinitely.

The dinner is a joint effort of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, the Genesee County Farm Bureau, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County and Genesee County Soil and Water.  

It is hoped that the dinner, which is held at the Alexander Fire Hall and annually draws more than 300 people, can be rescheduled at a later date.

Press release:

Maple Weekend Announcement

Out of an abundance of caution, the New York State Maple Producers Association has decided to cancel the 2020 NYS Maple Weekend.

In Genesee County, that includes participation by Randall’s Maple Products on Smithley Road in Alexander, which had planned to take part in the educational part of Maple Weekend.

This 25th anniversary festival was scheduled this weekend -- March 21-22 -- and the following weekend -- March 28-29 -- at 187 different locations statewide.

Individual sugarhouses will continue to produce, stock and market their excellent crop of maple products. Please contact them directly to order your favorite maple products.

NYS Maple Producers Association is already preparing for an alternative series of open houses later in the year to showcase both producer and product. Consult MapleWeekend.com for future events. If you have questions, contact us via email at:  mapleweekend@nysmaple.com

This is a live interview with Shelly Stein, chair of the County Legislature, co-owner Stein Farms, that we conducted at 2:30. The stream to YouTube started and then stopped.  I restarted it in the middle of the interview. This is a video recording of the entire interview.

Press release:

In an effort to assist current customers with unexpected financial burdens faced during the current coronavirus crisis, Tompkins Bank of Castile has implemented a temporary loan assistance program for our customers.

Our new Loan Assistance Program offers two-month loan payment deferment for various loan types, including consumer and commercial loans and mortgages.

“Our commitment to our customers and community continues to be the driving force for all we do,” said John McKenna, president and CEO. “As a community bank, it is our duty to assist our customers when facing unexpected hardship. We’re grateful to be able to support our customers in any way we can.”

Customers who would like to participate in the program will need to contact their banker via phone or email immediately, or reach out to Tompkins Customer Care Center at 1-877-243-8030 to review options that may be available to them. Please visit our website for more information.

Press release:

In support of NY State’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Tompkins Bank of Castile is transitioning to serving customers by drive-up or appointment only as of today, March 19. To make an appointment, customers may call their preferred branch or the Tompkins Bank of Castile Care Center at 1-877-243-8030.

Mobile and Online banking remain available 24/7 for many banking needs, including depositing checks, paying bills, and more. Other service options include:   

• Full service 24 hour ATMs
• Night drop depositories (available at most branches) 

Customers should be aware that the Gainesville Branch will be closing, and the Amherst branch will be by appointment only. Customers who normally bank at the Gainesville Branch are encouraged to schedule appointments at the Warsaw and Castile offices. 

“We are committed to implementing every measure possible to take great care of our employees and our customers, while providing uninterrupted access to your funds,” said John McKenna, president and CEO of Tompkins Bank of Castile.

“We understand the challenges that we all will be facing in the coming weeks, but we want to assure all of our customers that your Tompkins family is here for you. Through the power of our community, our employees, and our customers – we can get through this together.”

The company continues to monitor the coronavirus situation closely, and is following the guidance of relevant authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and various state and local government entities. As such, all functions that can be accomplished outside of a physical branch or office location have been moved to a remote environment.

For the most current information on the actions Tompkins Bank of Castile is taking, please visit their website.

Tompkins Insurance Agencies customers are encouraged to call TIA’s Customer Care Center at 1-888-261-2688. 

Tompkins Financial Advisors clients are encouraged to contact their advisor directly, or call 1-800-275-4003.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, organized bowling at the local, state and national levels has come to a screeching halt -- putting the overwhelming majority of the 1.4 million members of the United States Bowling Congress on the sidelines heading into the peak of the tournament season and down the stretch of the league season.

Without question, it’s a punch to the gut.

For more about the impact of COVID-19 upon the bowling industry -- and to catch up on tournament action that got in before the government's "social distancing" mandates -- click on the Pin Points logo above or the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

While there have been no new confirmed cases of patients infected by coronavirus in Genesee County since yesterday, there are now 10 people under mandatory quarantine and "a couple" of them are symptomatic, according to Paul Pettit, director of public health.

Yesterday, Pettit announced Genesee County's first confirmed case. Today he revealed that the person who contracted the disease has some sort of association with the Girl Scouts.

The 10 people now in mandatory quarantine -- up from just two yesterday -- are people who came into contact either directly or one-person removed from the person who contracted COVID-19.

That person is described as at least 65 years old. The person is not hospitalized and is quarantined in isolation at home.

Pettit said Department of Health staff has worked diligently over the past 24 hours to identify the people the infected person came into contact with -- within six feet -- either while symptomatic or 24 hours prior, and he said he's confident most of those people have been identified and contacted and placed into quarantine.

"The Girl Scouts of America are being very cooperative in providing us information to help us in that investigation," Pettit said. "At this point, the relative risk to the general public, again, as we talked about in regards to this case, remains very low through our investigation. We have a very good timeline of where this individual has been and where they've gone. And we have made, again, most of those contacts at the moment and put those folks under quarantine."

There remain seven people in the county under precautionary quarantine. 

Pettit reiterated the need for people to practice social distancing -- don't touch, remain six-feet apart -- wash your hands frequently, don't touch your face, stay home if you're sick, isolate yourself as much as possible.

That will help protect you and vulnerable residents from the spread of the disease, but just as important it will help slow the spread of the flu, which can also lead to hospitalization for some people.

"I know it can be painful and it's not what people want to do, but the reality is we need to free up capacity in our health care system," Pettit said. "And that's why the governor is currently looking at alternate sites to provide additional capacity because at the moment, a lot of our beds are still full and we need to make room for folks if they do have a higher level of severity with this illness so that we can handle them. Again, going back to what we keep talking about, flatten the curve, push it out, let's free up some capacity in our health care system so we can respond to those in need."

Pettit said if you have flu-like symptoms, contact your primary health care provider. 

"We're going to continue to report out that flu still remains very prevalent in our communities," Pettit said. "So if you are having a respiratory illness, it does not necessarily mean you have COVID-19. You may have the flu or you may have some other respiratory illness, regardless of what it is. We're asking folks to stay home. This is no different than our messaging that we do year-round when you have flu."

Pettit said he's frustrated that there are so few testing kits available and that the county cannot, as of yet, offer widespread testing for COVID-19.

"It's been very challenging," Pettit said. "There's just a shortage. They're just not available, contrary to what we are hearing from the federal government, from the state government, you know, 'folks wanting to get swabbed can get swabbed.' Unfortunately, locally, that's not the case at the moment. And we're working as hard as we can to provide that capacity to our residents."

It was President Donald Trump who said on March 6 that "anybody who wants a test can get a test." 

As of March 17, there have been 25,000 tests administered in the United States. Over the same time period, there have been 274,000 tests administered in South Korea. South Korea is reportedly making progress in fighting the spread of the disease.

There are several factors involved in the lack of available tests in the United States.

Asked about the slow response by the federal government, Pettit said, "I can't comment too much on the national level. I mean, that's out of our realm and out of our wheelhouse. Is it anything we can control? I mean, 'would it, could it, should it,' those are all things that we can debate later on. The reality is we need to focus on what's going on on the ground in our community and that's what we're doing here locally with county government and what we're doing in the health department.

"And I can tell you, as I told you yesterday, we are pushing back where we're saying we need these. We're being as aggressive as we can. Any time you have community spread, we need to identify cases. That's how we contain it. That's how we isolate and quarantine folks to try to minimize that continual train of exposure. So all I can tell you is, we are doing our best."

In Italy, where news reports indicated the society and government was slow to respond to the first cases in the country, there were 475 deaths reported today. The most of any country in one day.

Additional reading: The Single Most Important Lesson From the 1918 Influenza (The New York Times Opinion Section)

NOTE: Thank you to Alecia Kaus/Video News Service for sharing a couple of minutes of video from today that I missed because I didn't notice that my camera stopped recording. Regarding our second failed attempt to live stream the press conference, my MacBook wouldn't recognize either mic I tried to use with it, so all I could do was record the press briefing.

Press release:

Gregory Post, Town of Batavia supervisor, declared a State of Emergency at 6 p.m. on March 18, 2020 and issued an Emergency Order effective March 19, 2020 beginning at 12 a.m.

Town of Batavia Town Office and Highway Garage are closed to the public effective March 19, 2020 for five days unless rescinded earlier or renewed in five-day increments.

The Town will conduct business with the public remotely through the use of phones, computers, mail, or other means.

Town Board meetings will be closed to the public until further notice. Provisions will be made for the public to observe or otherwise remotely participate in Town Board meetings.

Taxes and dog license requests with required documents should be dropped off in the drop box located on the westside of the Town Hall, paid online or mailed in. They will be processed during regular business hours.

The Town Clerk will return your paperwork via U.S. Post Service. Email Town Clerk to inquire about other services.

Town Clerk email:  tmorasco@townofbatavia.com

Phone: 585-343-1729

Website - www.townofbatavia.com

A shed fire, with flames showing, is reported at 6177 Walkers Corner Road, Byron.

There is a boat and other equipment nearby.

Byron and South Byron along with Stafford dispatched.

Press release:

The City of Batavia is canceling the following meetings:

• Wednesday, March 18^th -- Plumbing Board Meeting
• Monday, March 23^rd -- City Council Meeting
• Thursday, March 26^th -- Zoning Board of Appeals
• Thursday, March 26^th -- Zoning Board of Appeals
• Tuesday, April 21^st -- Planning and Development Committee
• Thursday, April 23^rd -- Zoning Board of Appeals

As a reminder, City Hall and City buildings are closed to the public until further notice.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Bureau of Inspection is currently closed to the public. Permits may be submitted through the following methods:

• Email – mchilano@batavianewyork.com
• FAX – 585-345-1385
• Applicants will be notified when the permit has been issued, at which time, payment can be made by the following methods:
• Check sent by mail to: Bureau of Inspection, One Batavia City Centre, Batavia NY 14020;
• Dropbox on the wall outside the doors of City Hall;
• Personal internet banking;
• Credit card over the phone (fee will be applied).

Applicants must call in advance for required inspections. Application is available on the City’s website here.

For questions, please call the Bureau of Inspection at 585-345-6345.