news

Shortly, we will be live in an interview with Shawn Heubusch, Batavia's chief of police.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

Press release:

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer announced today that the Senate has passed another bipartisan emergency legislative package to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19), sending the bill that will deliver billions of dollars to New York, and millions to the counties, to President Trump for his signature.

Schumer successfully pushed to include a cost-sharing provision in the legislation so New York’s counties, which pay part of Medicaid’s costs, benefit from the increase federal Medicaid support. Schumer has successfully championed this provision in prior disaster response legislation, including after 9/11, Hurricane Sandy and the 2008 financial meltdown.

The Schumer-backed emergency measure delivers billions to New York and its counties immediately, while the state, city and local governments works to contain the virus’s spread and cover mounting costs in new "hot spots."

“Enhanced FMAP funds are so important because they are immediate and flexible. The state – which gets billions and the most of any state in the nation – and counties use the money they save on whatever they want, alleviating pressure from the crisis,” Senator Schumer said.

“New York is the national epicenter in the coronavirus fight and this bill will ensure New York and its counties have the tools, the dollars, and the federal resources to go at the virus with full force. I am proud to deliver this support that will unlock billions for New York state and send money directly to counties on the front lines of this battle as we all work together to contain the virus’s spread and cover mounting costs.”

Schumer explained that statewide dollars related to healthcare funds known as “FMAP," unemployment benefits, and meals for seniors who might become homebound were included in the final bill, and said all of this will mean billions for New York. Schumer called on Leader McConnell to work with him last week to send the measure to President Trump’s desk ASAP.

“This passed in the Senate with bipartisan effort because we recognize the challenges that states, especially New York, are facing in the coronavirus battle,” added Schumer. “These are dollars for New York healthcare, free testing, paid emergency leave, unemployment insurance, meals for homebound seniors, and other critical efforts that are needed to sustain the mission.”

Schumer said he scored the haul by temporarily adjusting the state’s Medicaid reimbursement rate. Right now, the federal government pays 50 percent of expenses for Medicaid in New York. Under the deal, the feds would temporarily pay approximately 56 percent.

New York Essentials

+$6B in healthcare funds for New York -- Schumer explained, once signed by President Trump, on an annual basis, the bipartisan deal will deliver more than $6 billion in critical healthcare dollars to New York in the form of what is called “FMAP,” which encompasses the state’s Medicaid program. That program is jointly funded by the federal government and the states. FMAP is a matching rate enacted in 1965 that determines the federal funding share for state Medicaid programs.

The federal government matches state funds spent on Medicaid, based on the state’s FMAP, which varies by state. For example, New York’s FMAP is 50 percent. This means that for every dollar spent on Medicaid in New York, New York’s share of the cost is fifty cents (this 50 cents, in turn, is split between the State and Counties and localities), while the federal government chips in the other 50 cents.

Only some states have FMAPs of 50 percent and New York is one — Schumer’s efforts increased the federal share of New York’s Medicaid program to 56.2 percent, thereby dropping the state’s share to 43.8 percent. This delivers more federal dollars immediately to the state and localities, to the tune of more than $6B annually.  

The Breakdown

State share: $5.26 billion

Counties share: $436 million

• Genesee County: $1.9 million

​The Medicaid program plays a critical role in helping states respond to disasters and public health emergencies like the coronavirus. For example, Medicaid was able to provide enhanced funding and coverage in response to the Zika virus outbreak in Puerto Rico. There are also millions of Americans who depend on Medicaid for access to essential health care, including vaccines and diagnostic tests.

Recognizing that New York State and localities are in dire need of direct fiscal aid and are forced to share the cost of Medicaid, Schumer in 2009, fought to make sure that New York State counties and localities received direct aid from FMAP through the financial crisis, a roughly $12B package. Even farther back, in 2003, Schumer was successful in getting a share of FMAP for states during an economic downturn, of $10 billion in fiscal relief through a temporary FMAP increase that lasted five fiscal quarters. 

$1B for people who might find themselves out of work—Schumer explained, once signed by President Trump, the Act will also deliver more than $1B in additional unemployment benefits to states, unlocking tens of millions of new dollars to help New York as the virus’s economic impacts risk taking effect. This emergency package would also waive certain measures, such as work search requirements or waiting weeks to those who have lost their jobs over the spread of coronavirus, or those who have been diagnosed. Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs provide unemployment benefits to eligible workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own, and meet certain other eligibility requirements.  

$15M dedicated specially to New York seniors who might need meals—Schumer explained, once signed by President Trump, the emergency bill will also include a special pot of $15 million for meals homebound seniors might require. The funds would be in addition to a larger federal tranche of hundreds of millions that would deliver more resources to local food banks and pantries. Schumer said the meals for seniors is especially important because these folks are most vulnerable to the virus and might need to remain socially isolated for a certain duration.

In addition to this bill, Schumer also negotiated and passed an emergency $8.3 billion coronavirus supplemental signed by President Trump last week that will deliver hundreds-of-millions to New York State, New York City and New York institutions as they wage the fight and ramp up virus testing measures. Moreover, yesterday, at Schumer’s urging, President Trump heeded the call to enact a national emergency. The disaster declaration will allow FEMA to provide emergency protective measures to the state at a 75 percent federal to 25 percent state cost share for a wide range of eligible expenses and activities.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act also delivers billions in free coronavirus testing, paid sick leave for workers, strengthens food assistance by $1B.

As of 8 a.m. today, March 18^th, the New York Department of Health reported more than 1,300 cases in New York state, with 17 deaths.

While the immediate health risk to the majority of the American public is thought to remain low, Schumer has emphasized that the challenges of community spread have already begun to strain New York state and local government responses, particularly health departments, which is why this latest measure is so critical.

Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus In New York (8 a.m., March 18)

New York City

1,399 (10 deaths)

Albany

36

Allegany

1

Broome

1

Chenango

1

Clinton

1

Delaware

1

Dutchess 

20

Erie

7

Genesee

1

Greene 

2

Herkimer

1

Jefferson

1

Montgomery

1

Monroe 

14 (1 death)

Nassau

183 (1 death)

Niagara

1

Oneida

2

Onondaga

2

Ontario 

1

Orange

32

Putnam

2

Rensselaer

1

Rockland

30 (2 deaths)

Saratoga

14

Schenectady

5

Suffolk

116 (3 deaths)

Sullivan

1

Tioga

1

Tompkins

3

Ulster 

8

Westchester

538

Wyoming

1

From Town of Stafford Supervisor Robert S. Clement:

Town of Stafford issues policies due to COVID-19​

Essential employees will be in their office to assist with any town matter. Staff here at the Town regularly checks emails and phone messages.

Town of Stafford's Office will be closed to the public or open by appointment only.

If needed to drop off payments, there is a secure drop box located in the front of the Stafford Town Hall, 8903 Route 237; receipts will be mailed back to you.

Check our website here.

Please contact these offices with any question, or if an appointment is needed:

Stafford Town Supervisor

• Office -- (585) 344-1554, ext. 5
• Home -- (585) 344-0672
• rclement@rochester.rr.com

Stafford Town Clerk

• Office -- (584) 344-1554, ext. 4
• FAX -- (585) 345-0592
• tcstaf@rochester.rr.com

Stafford Highway Superintendent

• (d) (585) 343-2907
• (e) (585) 343-6780

Stafford Town Assessor

• Office (585) 344-1554, ext. 6
• FAX (585) 345-0592
• staffordassessor@gmail.com

Stafford Code Enforcement

• Office (585) 344-1554, ext. 7
• (c) (585) 490-4152
• (c) (585) 716-1093
• ceostaf@rochester.rr.com

Stafford Town Court

• (585) 344-4020, ext. 3
• FAX (585) 345-0591
• staffordtowncourt@rochester.rr.com

Press release:

Consistent with Governor Cuomo's directive for long-term care facilities, Rochester Regional Health has implemented enhanced visitor restrictions to further protect our patients, our team members, and our community.

United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia is restricting ALL visitors until further notice.

Limited visitation will be allowed for the following patients only:

• Pediatric patients may have two designated guardians on site at a time;
• End-of-life patients may have one on-site visitor at a time;
• Obstetrical patients may have one on-site visitor at a time.

Visitors and guardians must be symptom-free (no coughing, no fever, no runny nose) and must not have knowingly been exposed to an individual with COVID-19 within the past 14 days.

Press release:

National Grid is directing $500,000 to support customers affected by the health impacts, financial hardships and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding will provide immediate relief to families and individuals in need and bolster efforts by local organizations to assist communities across Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.

"We are committed to helping our customers through the difficult times and unchartered challenges associated with this pandemic," said Badar Khan, National Grid’s interim U.S. president. “We recognize this is an unprecedented and rapidly changing situation. We want to do our part to look out for our customers and protect the communities where we live and serve.”

A portion of the funds will be dedicated directly to National Grid’s customers experiencing financial hardship. The Company will also work with community-based organizations and funds to help support many of the basic needs being interrupted.

The following represents a sampling of some of the programs and funds that will be targeted:

• The United Way Rhode Island Crisis Fund 
• The Rhode Island Good Neighbor Energy Fund 
• Boston Resiliency Fund
• The United Way of Central MA "We Care Fund"
• Island Harvest on Long Island
• The United Way and other organizations across our New York footprint

In addition, National Grid has taken the following steps to further protect the safety and well-being of our customers and employees: 

• Suspending collections-related activities, including service disconnections, to lessen any financial hardship the COVID-19 pandemic may have on customers;
• Encouraging customers who are struggling to pay their National Grid bill to contact the company as soon as possible for assistance;
• Offering the expertise of our Consumer Advocates, who provide crisis intervention support for customers in need, working closely with state and county Social Services and community assistance organizations;
• Requiring our employees to take precautionary measures before entering a customer’s home to limit exposure to our customers and our workforce.   

“Ensuring the health and safety of our employees and customers is our number one priority,” Khan said. “We have a comprehensive emergency response plan in place to keep the lights on and the gas flowing for our customers. Our pandemic team is meeting daily and we’re closely monitoring all developments associated with this evolving and complex situation.”

Khan noted that the Company also is sharing its preparedness plans with regulators, federal, state and local officials, emergency response organizations, customers and other key stakeholders. Additional information on National Grid’s pandemic preparedness and a customer Q&A can be found here.

“We will continue to closely monitor our customers’ needs during the pandemic and find new ways to assist where we can,” Khan said.

Classic Optical is closed for the remainder of the week because of COVID-19. We are planning to reopen on Tuesday March 24th, but that is dependent on conditions at that time.

Classic Optical is located at 44 Batavia City Centre in the City of Batavia.

Phone is (585) 343-1920.

Visit online here.

UPDATE 12:39 p.m., March 19: Customers can contact the business owner and optometrist Robert "Bob" Chiarmontee via email, which he checks often: classicopticalis@juno.com