INTERNET LIQUIDATION AUCTION OF FITNESS CENTER EQUIPMENT.
Online only bidding for items used in a fitness center, including cardio & strength training machines & equipment, mats, items used for fitness classes and other items needed for general maintenance of the facility. Bidding ends: Monday, April 27th. Click here to view auction items.
With 11 new cases in two days, Genesee County has now seen a total 92 positive tests since the start of the outbreak -- and that only covers the symptomatic people who have been tested because there are certainly others who haven't been tested -- we don't have a good handle on community spread of the novel coronavirus locally.
Public Health Director Paul Pettit said today that he takes some comfort that the number of active cases in Genesee County has remained relatively flat. It's at 45 today, lower than the 50 of a few days ago but he acknowledged it's still too early to tell if we've reached our apex.
Forty-five people have recovered, there are 105 people in mandatory quarantine but four of today's five new cases were not previously under quarantine.
That means, Pettit noted today, that community spread is still prevalent and not isolated to a few known hotspots.
This week, there has been a lot of talk about "opening up the economy" again soon, so given what we know about the spread of the disease in Genesee County, we asked Pettit his thoughts on that thorny policy question. His answer is in the video clip above. For the full briefing today, click here.
Even with 11 new cases in two days, the graph of the active case count in Genesee County has remained relatively flat.
Public Notice
State of Emergency Declaration
A State of Emergency is hereby declared in the Town of Batavia, effective at 6 p.m. today, April 17, 2020.
This State of Emergency has been declared due to the existing and continuing declared States of Emergency at the Federal, State, County and City of Batavia, related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This situation threatens the public safety.
This State of Emergency will remain in effect for 30 days or until rescinded by a subsequent order.
As Chief Executive of Town of Batavia, County of Genesee, State of New York, I, Gregory H. Post, exercise 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 Batavia to take whatever steps necessary to protect life and property, public infrastructure, and provide such emergency assistance deemed necessary.
Gregory H. Post
Supervisor
Town of Batavia
Press release:
During these unprecedented times when the directive is to stay at home and to limit your interaction with others, the demand for both curbside pick up as well as home delivery has seen a sudden spike.
In fact, since the onset of COVID-19 impacted our nation, services like Instacart saw longer wait times than usual, noting order volumes increased by 300 percent last week alone compared to the same period the previous year.
Recognizing the impact to these services on its own customers, Tops began working closer with its partner Instacart to monitor the situation and increase the number of options to lighten the impact.
A number of measures were put into place early on to help alleviate the wait times including:
Additionally to help with the high demand for online orders, Tops own associates began picking online orders to assist Instacart shoppers in a pilot store yesterday, Thursday, April 16, with more stores immediately to follow.
Vice President of Instacart Care, Mark Killick, said "Over the course of the last few weeks, the customer demand for our service, and the sheer number of shoppers on our platform has surged in the wake of COVID-19. In my 38 years in the customer support industry, I’ve never seen anything quite like this.
"From a Care operations perspective, most natural disasters and emergencies are high stakes, sudden but localized. In contrast, COVID-19 is affecting every one of us over a sustained period of time, and, as a result, we’ve had to reimagine and rescale our Care operations overnight to best serve customers and shoppers across North America."
Due to the pandemic, Instacart has become an essential service for millions of people in the United States and Canada who are depending on the platform to safely, reliably, and affordably get the groceries and household goods they need in a contactless manner.
Over the past few weeks, Instacart has launched new features to help minimize friction and increase safety and convenience for employees and customers including:
"The last few weeks have been busier than we’ve ever imagined and our Tops team, along with Instacart, are working around the clock to serve all of our customers in this time of need,” said Ed Rick, director of digital and e-commerce for Tops.
“We will continue to be here for them and do everything we can to make their experience with us a positive one.”
Press release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley recently joined the Assembly Republican Conference in developing an economic plan that will provide working New Yorkers, job creators, and small businesses with short-term economic support and long-term stability and security.
With roughly 92 percent of small businesses being negatively impacted due to the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak, per the National Federation of Independent Business’ (NFIB) survey, many small businesses need help sooner rather than later
“There is no question that the scale and severity of our current fiscal situation is dire, and business owners are feeling tremendous pressure,” Hawley said. “The fact that these small businesses and job creators are following state and federal directions should not mean that they lose their livelihoods.
"Like anyone living through this pandemic, these individuals deserve to know that just because business has slowed, food will still make its way to the table and support will be in their communities beyond the pandemic.”
Some of the ideas discussed in the initiative are the re-evaluation of which businesses could operate following social distancing protocols; extending and/or waiving state regulations for an additional year; suspending fees for occupational licenses for one year following the emergency period; increasing rural internet accessibility to ensure equal access to telehealth and online learning among other things; and the implementation of all provisions of the "Small Business Recovery Act of 2020" (A.10266).
To read more on the “Jump-Start New York” plan, please click on this link, where you can learn about all of the proposed plans and initiatives.
Press release:
In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, all New Yorkers are required to wear a face covering in public when social distancing isn’t possible. In addition, Executive Order 202.6, requiring essential businesses to issue face masks or protective covering to all employees who interact with the public.
Both of these directives were announced earlier this week by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Wearing a simple cloth face covering helps to slow the spread of the virus as it helps people who may have the virus and not know it from transmitting it to others. Face coverings can be commercially made or be fashioned from household items and made at home at low cost. The Center for Disease Control has provided a guide on making cloth masks.
Genesee County, The United Way and Chamber of Commerce are compiling face mask resources for businesses and the public. The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce has provided resources for businesses looking to make or purchase face masks.
Local Mask Manufacturers
Easton Office Supply – Tim Garlock (585-300-9861)
Local Residents Making Masks for People in the Community
DONATIONS OF HOMEMADE FACE COVERINGS/MASKS
Nonprofits throughout the region are working to keep their staff and clients safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic and they need our help. Based on the recommendation from the CDC for all people to wear face coverings/masks in public spaces, there is an increased demand for homemade face coverings/masks.
If you are able to sew or make additional homemade face coverings/masks to donate, visit the United Way Website for more details. https://www.uwrochester.org/COVID-19-Response/Masks
Remember the best way to stay safe and stop the spread of the coronavirus is to stay home, wash your hands frequently and practice social distancing. When it is essential for you to go out remember to shop solo, wear a facial covering, maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from others and continue to practice frequent hand washing.
Be prepared -- not scared! We are in this together!
Daily Briefing:
New Cases
Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans County online map of confirmed cases.
Interview with Bonnie Birkmeyer, Western Region executive director, Hillside Family of Agencies.
Press release:
New York’s entire 28 member bipartisan delegation today sent a letter to President Donald Trump, urging he expeditiously grant New York State a waiver to provide 100-percent federal funding for all Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emergency work in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.
The representatives asked that any eligible work paid for through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) be paid for by the federal government rather the New York taxpayers, as was done by Presidents Bush and Obama after 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy.
The complete 28 member New York delegation that joined the letter were Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Representatives Lee Zeldin (NY-1), Pete King (NY-2), Thomas Suozzi (NY-3), Kathleen Rice (NY-4), Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Grace Meng (NY-6), Nydia Velazquez (NY-7), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8), Yvette Clarke (NY-9), Jerry Nadler (NY-10), Max Rose (NY-11), Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Jose Serrano (NY-15), Eliot Engel (NY-16), Nita Lowey (NY-17), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Antonio Delgado (NY-19), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Anthony Brindisi (NY-22), Tom Reed (NY-23), John Katko (NY-24), Joe Morelle (NY-25), and Brian Higgins (NY-26).
Here's the letter sent to President Trump
Dear President Trump:
We write today to urge you to expeditiously grant New York a waiver that provides 100 percent federal funding for all FEMA emergency work in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Any eligible work paid for through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) should be paid for by the federal government, not New Yorkers.
On March 13, you issued an Emergency Declaration for New York, as well as for 55 other states, territories, and the District of Columbia. On March 17, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York requested a Major Disaster Declaration (MDD), the first in the country, to aid the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. On March 20, you granted the first-in-the-nation COVID-19 MDD for New York after a strong push from the New York Congressional Delegation.
Both of these declarations allow New York State to receive reimbursement for eligible work from the DRF. On March 25, the Senate passed H.R.748, the CARES Act, which more than doubled the DRF by adding $45 billion. The March 20 MDD now grants New York State access to Public Assistance, Category B – Emergency Protective Measures and the Crisis Counselling program for individuals. While this is an incredibly important step in combating the COVID-19 outbreak, this assistance comes at a 75 percent federal and 25 percent state cost share.
As of April 13, the New York State Department of Health reported over 195,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York State, with over 104,000 in New York City alone. Tragically, our home state has already experienced at least 10,000 deaths from this outbreak and experts anticipate this number will continue to rise.
With New York State at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, it is imperative that New York receive all the federal resources available to save lives and protect public health and safety. The costs associated with responding to this public health crisis are astronomical. New York State expects to request billions of additional funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the DRF in the coming months. If New York State must shoulder the cost of even 25 percent of this massive bill, it could deal a devastating blow to New York’s vibrant economy.
As New York continues to address the escalating outbreak of COVID-19, we urge you to expeditiously grant a waiver that adjusts the current DRF cost-share to provide 100 percent federal funding for New York State’s response to this outbreak. We thank you for your time and attention to this matter, please do not hesitate to contact our staff members with any questions.
Press release:
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced he will issue an Executive Order directing all public and private labs in New York to coordinate with the State Department of Health to prioritize coronavirus diagnostic testing. This action is part of the State's efforts to ramp up testing, a key component of the Governor's blueprint to un-Pause New York. The Executive Order will help ensure the 301 laboratories and hospitals in the state that are licensed to perform virology operate in a coordinated fashion to overcome the testing challenges that every state in the nation is now facing.
The Governor also reiterated his call for the federal government to provide unrestricted funding to the states to help stabilize the economy and allow the states to perform reopening functions. The federal government has passed three bills to address this crisis, including the federal CARES Act, all of which contained zero funding to offset drastic state revenue shortfalls.
The Governor also launched an awareness campaign encouraging low-income New Yorkers to claim their Economic Impact Payments under the CARES Act. The Act provides $1,200 payments to individuals making below $75,000 and $2,400 payments to married couples making below $150,000. However, taxpayers will only receive their payments automatically if they filed 2018 or 2019 federal tax returns. Because the federal filing threshold is roughly $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples, hundreds of thousands of the lowest income New Yorkers who are not required to file returns will not receive their payments unless they provide their information to the IRS.
To support the Governor's awareness campaign, the Department of Taxation and Finance launched an Economic Impact Payment information: what you need to know web page and will do direct outreach to taxpayers who may not automatically receive the payments they're owed. The Tax Department will also partner with the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, NYS Division of Veterans' Services, the Department of Labor and local community organizations to raise awareness and ensure action is taken by those who need this benefit most.
"As we work over the next several months to un-pause New York, the testing and tracing is going to be our guidepost," Governor Cuomo said. "No state is currently capable of doing the large-scale COVID testing that is needed. We have 300 laboratories and hospitals across the state that do virology testing and we must coordinate them to become one system -- like we did with the hospitals -- to get our testing capacity where it needs to be. I am going to issue an Executive Order that says the Department of Health will coordinate all of these labs so we can ramp up testing and get more people back to work."
Interview with Todd Rapp, local coordinator of Emergency Disaster Services for The Salvation Army.
*UPDATE 11:15 a.m., Saturday, April 18: Todd Rapp, local coordinator of Emergency Disaster Services for The Salvation Army, clarified this press release today by saying there should only be one PERSON per household in a vehicle when picking up donated food. You must provide ID. If the driver is picking up food for another household, too, the driver must present an ID for that head of houehold as well.
Submitted photo and press release:
The Salvation Army of Batavia usually helps two to three families obtain meals, three times a week. Currently they are caring for 25-40 families. Their supplies are exhausted.
Northgate Free Methodist Church will be hosting a food drive to support The Salvation Army each Monday during "New York on PAUSE." Please drop off food donations at Northgate North Campus (8160 Bank Street Road), Mondays during the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Salvation Army is also continuing to accept donations at their headquarters at 529 E. Main St. in Batavia on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Salvation Army NEEDS:
There will be volunteers available to unload items from your vehicle, and safety precautions will be made to maintain social distancing.
Wednesday, April 22, beginning at 9 a.m., The Salvation Army, along with FoodLink, will oversee a “Pop-up” Mobile pantry at Northgate (8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia).
This will be done as a “drive thru” distribution to insure social distancing and proper hygiene.
Residents are asked to pull into the church lot and go around the back of the building via the north side. You will be required to show a valid form of ID to show residency and FoodLink is requesting ONE family person per vehicle.*
Volunteers kindly ask that your vehicle's trunk, cargo area or truck bed is empty, as they will not be permitted to rearrange items for you.
Pull up to the pallets and volunteers will load the items for you. This will continue until all the food is gone.
Please arrive no earlier than 9 a.m.
For more information, please visit northgatefmc.com or call (585) 343-4011.
In a time where we are being asked to remain apart, let’s do what we can to help those who are in need right now.
Press release:
During these unprecedented times all Tops Friendly Markets locations are raising a cup of kindness as a way to say thank you to essential workers at all of its 162 locations in New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania.
From now until June 13, Tops is offering all essential workers a 50-percent discount on any single-serve coffee or handcrafted beverage at any of its locations.
“We can’t thank these dedicated men and women enough for their tireless efforts,” said Karri Zwirlein, director of bakery, deli, & prepared foods for Tops Friendly Markets. “Raising a cup of kindness is just our small token of appreciation for all they are doing each and every day to keep our communities safe.”
The discount is being given in good faith (no I.D. required) and is applicable to all first responders, healthcare workers, frontline personnel, and essential workers.
Wendy Williams reads "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas. Williams is a member of Batavia Players.
Below, a video analysis of the poem.
A crowd is reportedly gathered at Jackson and Watson streets in the city and they are allegedly drinking alcohol. City police are responding.
A female caller to dispatch reports being chased and bitten by a dog in the vicinity of 19 Forest Ave. in Oakfield. Law enforcement is responding.
Press release:
Yesterday, President Trump named political strategist and Republican campaign veteran Michael Caputo as the spokesperson of Health and Human Services. Caputo is a Western New York native, where he has engaged in years of misinformation, lies and political deceit in public relations positions locally and in Russia.
Up until very recently, Caputo was a registered agent of a foreign power. He will now represent the agency protecting the health of Americans during a national crisis -- despite no personal public health or executive experience.
Nate McMurray, the Democratic candidate for the NY-27 congressional district, said: “We know Caputo here. He’s the guy lying on local talk radio making up stories and attending Steve Bannon rallies. He’s the guy putting up billboards honoring disgraced Congressman Chris Collins, and begging people to vote for Collins.
"He is a prankster not a statesman and it’s important to make that clear, because appointing him to a position like this during a crisis is beyond reckless; it represents malice toward America.”
McMurray calls upon all candidates for the Special Election for NY-27 to denounce the appointment of Caputo at this critical time. He especially denotes the budding relationship between Jacobs and Caputo.
McMurray added, “Jacobs joined in with Trump’s local posse because he wants power. He will go along with anything for that power. That is why he voted against COVID-19 sick pay. That is why he followed Caputo’s lead and shared false stories about the Governor stealing ventilators from our hospitals.
"Jacobs should change course now because he may find out real quick what I am afraid the American people will find out soon enough; Caputo will betray you in a heartbeat if it helps him.”
It's been exactly one month since we last posted a Deal of the Day. After consulting with many of the businesses that have been participating in Deal of the Day, we are able to once again offer this program to our readers.
We hope to add more businesses in the next week or so but today's Deal of the Day post represents all the businesses currently offering their gift certificates through The Batavian.
All the same rules as before apply. They are listed below. Obviously, the gift certificates can be used for delivery (where available) or pick up.
Reminders of how the Deal of the Day program works:
Health Department Daily Briefing:
New Cases
Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans County online map of confirmed cases.
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