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Jeremy McClellan submitted this photo of an eagle he spotted off of Route 20 in Pavilion.

WNY Heroes, a veterans service organization, organized a donation of hundreds of meals to staff of the Veterans Hospital in Batavia and the NYS State Veterans Home yesterday.

Red Osier Landmark Restaurant delivered more than 150 prime rib sandwich lunch bags to the VA hospital and Pizza 151 delivered pizza to the vets home.

The Red Osier meals were donated by the restaurant and co-owner Steve Foster said the restaurant has now donated more than 300 meals to local organizations since the pandemic hit our community.

“The generosity of Red Osier combined with our organization is exactly what Western New York Heroes stands for,” said Western New York Heroes President Chris Kreiger. “We are and always have been here to support our veterans in our Western New York community and we do this day in and day out. Providing meals to our frontline medical workers who selflessly give their time to care for our veterans is the least we can do.”

After stopping at the VA, Foster and partner Tim Adams and Red Osier staff stopped the Genesee County Animal Shelter to drop off a donation of pet food, treats and toys.

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:

• Expanding the hours in which its Instacart employees (known as “shoppers”) can shop Tops stores, allowing them to more readily fulfill the orders being received;
• Continuously hiring and on-boarding thousands of new shoppers each week.

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:

• An employee Safety Center to provide masks, hand sanitizer and thermometers at no cost;
• “Leave at My Door” default option for contact-less customer delivery;
• Fast and flexible option where customers receive an estimated delivery window and are notified when a shopper starts to work on their order ;
• Extended the ordering window from 7 days to 14 days;
• Evolving their Help Center and significantly increasing their number of agents.

"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:

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

• American Classic Outfitters – Jan Newville (585-302-4223)   jnewville@teamaco.com
• Empire Emergency Equipment – Eric Dahlgren (716-225-0890)
  • Ricocet Masks -- $4; minimum 100

Easton Office Supply – Tim Garlock (585-300-9861)

• Level One Protective Masks - $50/box of 50; $1,700 for 2,000

Local Residents Making Masks for People in the Community

• Roxanne:                 alterationssewing@aol.com  
• Shandra:                  shandamabon@gmail.com  
• Bethany:                  betsanee@yahoo.com  
• Nancy:                     tuniquel@rochester.rr.com  
• Crystal:                    chavens92@gmail.com  
• Shirley:                    snigrohill@hotmail.com
• Karen:                     karensyarnpaperscissors@gmail.com  

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

• As of 2 p.m. today:
  • Genesee County received five new positive cases of COVID-19 for a total of 92 positive cases.
    • Four positive cases reside in Batavia and one resides in Pembroke.
    • One individual is in their 20s, one individual is in their 30s, one individual is in their 50s, one individual is in their 60s, and one individual is in their 90s.
    • One of the positive individuals was on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Three of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
• Orleans County: Eight new positive case  of COVID-19 for a total of 43.
  • Of the new positive cases today, seven live in Albion and one lives in Ridgeway.
  • We have one individual in their 50s, two individuals in their 60s, two individuals in their 70s and three individuals in their 80s.
  • One has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Four of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
• Due to the current limited swabbing kits, there continue to be guidelines in place for primary care providers to order COVID-19 swabbing. This is based upon screening for high risk categories. Contact your primary care provider first to discuss symptoms and ability to be swabbed.
• Contact tracing has been initiated for all new cases. Known contacts have already been placed under mandatory quarantine and will be swabbed if indicated (if symptoms become present). 
• If a person is identified as a contact, they will be notified by the County Health Department, quarantined and if warranted, swabbed if indicated. Limited information is provided to the public in compliance with HIPAA regulations and out of the respect of those impacted by this virus. 
• When, and if, there is a situation where potential contact is made in a public location where contact tracing doesn’t have actual names of close contacts, we will send out a media announcement to help seek contacts.
• If you are experiencing ANY COVID-19 related symptoms STAY HOME! Do not go to work, do not go to the store, do not go anywhere, YOU are spreading the virus. STAY HOME!

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:

• Part of State's Efforts to Ramp Up Testing, A Key Component of the Governor's Blueprint to Un-Pause New York
• Reiterates Call for Federal Government to Provide Unrestricted Funding to States
• Launches Awareness Campaign Encouraging Low-Income New Yorkers to Claim Their Economic Impact Payments Under the CARES Act
• Confirms 7,358 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 229,642; New Cases in 50 Counties

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.

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.”

Health Department Daily Briefing:

New Cases

• As of 2 p.m. today:
  • Genesee County received seven new positive cases of COVID-19 for a total of 87 positive cases.
    • Five positive cases reside in Batavia, one resides in Bergen, and one resides in Darien.
    • One individual is in their 20s, three individuals are in their 30s, one individual is in their 60s, and two individuals are in their 90s.
    • Three of the positive individuals were on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Three of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
• Orleans County: One new positive case of COVID-19 for a total of 35.
  • Of the new positive cases today, one lives in Albion.
  • One individual is in their 80s.
  • Two have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Three of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
  • Orleans County received notification of the first COVID-19 related death.
• Due to the current limited swabbing kits, there continue to be guidelines in place for primary care providers to order COVID-19 swabbing. This is based upon screening for high risk categories. Contact your primary care provider first to discuss symptoms and ability to be swabbed.
• Contact tracing has been initiated for all new cases. Known contacts have already been placed under mandatory quarantine and will be swabbed if indicated (if symptoms become present). 
• If a person is identified as a contact, they will be notified by the County Health Department, quarantined and if warranted, swabbed if indicated. Limited information is provided to the public in compliance with HIPAA regulations and out of the respect of those impacted by this virus. 
• When, and if, there is a situation where potential contact is made in a public location where contact tracing doesn’t have actual names of close contacts, we will send out a media announcement to help seek contacts.
• If you are experiencing ANY COVID-19 related symptoms STAY HOME! Do not go to work, do not go to the store, do not go anywhere, YOU are spreading the virus. STAY HOME!

Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans County online map of confirmed cases.

Submitted photos and press release:

It may be a bit early to tiptoe through the tulips but visitors to the Batavia Peace Garden will be delighted to find rows of hyacinth and daffodils in full bloom there. 

As Genesee County residents are sequestered indoors for days on end due to the coronvirus pandemic, it is refreshing to know that passersby can enjoy a burst of color at the Batavia Peace Garden.

With the help of dozens of volunteers, the bulbs were planted last fall. The majority of plants were provided complements of Delre's Greenhouse & Garden Center in Batavia, according to Batavia Peace Garden Director Barb Toal.

"It's nice to know that so many people can enjoy the serenity and beauty of this garden during a time when the whole world is on edge," Toal said. "That’s precisely what the Peace Garden was created for.

"Whether you pass by in your car or take a stroll through the garden with your family, you can’t help but feel good about the colorful blooms and the sweet scent of the hyacinths. But if you do decide to take a walk be sure to practice distance guidelines. At the Peace Garden, all are welcome.”  

The Peace Garden enjoys a variety of blooms annually spring through fall. The season for tulips approaches in mid-May. That is followed by Black-eyed Susan’s, yellow roses, daises, hydrangea and much more.

Volunteers are always needed to help with more planting and garden maintenance.

For information on how you can participate, visit the Batavia Peace Garden online here or contact the International Peace Garden Foundation here.