CONNECTING: How To Listen To Gov. Cuomo For His Daily Briefings - And Why They Are So Awesome

going-to-the-church-of-cuomo-MAIN.png

When my “woke” state on this pandemic really started, I was getting updates from Deadline.com, as all of the film and TV jobs and movie premieres and movie theaters shut down in China. Then texts from my Mom in Ohio started coming in as Ohio prepared for the coronavirus. Their Governor, Mike DeWine, was giving daily briefings, and the numbers were startling. While Ohio’s test cases remain lower than New York’s (New York’s are as of today at 25,665 positive cases. N.J. has 2,844 cases, California has 2,240 cases, Washington state has 2,101 cases, and Ohio has 564 cases; they are at 60% hospital bed occupancy as of today, and are retrofitting their hospitals.

Then blips of Gov. Cuomo began coming across my radar. Not being a political publication, following politicians closely is not our beat or of particular interest, unless it manifests into something where action needs to be taken. We don’t accept political advertising on this blog, and don’t include political fundraisers in our Event Guide. Even if they are at really fun places. (OK, if it’s an over-the-top amazing event, we’ll consider it.)

Point is, we’ve been blogging a lot about Gov. Cuomo lately, and I wanted to set the record straight that it isn’t because of any feeling about him - I really know nothing about him. I’m from Ohio. Lived in New York for 18 years (seven in NYC and 11 in Beacon), and since moving to Beacon, have felt like a Beaconite. But now with this pandemic, and Cuomo’s insistence that this is a state issue, and not an upstate/downstate issue, I am rallying as a New Yorker.

How To Catch Governor Cuomo’s Daily Press Conferences

In Work From Home With Kids Life, one needs to plan around these daily press conferences. Drinking BBQ sauce from the bottle is deemed acceptable.

In Work From Home With Kids Life, one needs to plan around these daily press conferences. Drinking BBQ sauce from the bottle is deemed acceptable.

We here at A Little Beacon Blog listen to the governor’s press conferences every day. They start at about 10:45 am or 11 am. We take notes and decide how to slice and dice them into smaller articles for you. But, there are shortcuts to knowing what happened in them: Twitter.

Twitter will tell you when the governor is starting, when you follow his twitter: @NYGovCuomo. Just have that open on your phone and refresh the screen to see when the live stream is starting. He has a “pinned tweet” at the top - usually about something he needs right now. Like medical supplies, or retired medical professionals.

You can stream it on Twitter. However, his press conferences have become so game-changing for the rest of the day and what the president decides to talk about that afternoon, that the national news stations have begun broadcasting Cuomo. That, and the national news stations are also located in New York City, so they are really eager to learn how Gov. Cuomo is going to fight this war against the pandemic virus. Step 1: Getting all of us to practice social distancing.

Also on Twitter are the play-by-play tweets. So if you need a quote, stat, or to just catch up quick, most likely it has been sliced and diced on Cuomo’s Twitter.

The Church Of Cuomo

Listening to his press conferences is very necessary. Not only for the facts - he loves telling you about the numbers, what current needs are, why he needs it, and when he’s not getting it. But he leads you through the scary part, and then presents the Life After The Pandemic part, helping you (all of us) through the mental difficulty of this. He usually ends each briefing with basically a sermon.

Today’s briefing was pretty impactful. He was mad. A mad dad. He was protecting all of the people after the president indicated that he wanted to open the economy, have everyone not touch the subway railings, and to not kill the economy for some deaths. The Lieutenant Governor of Texas was on Tucker Carlson on Fox, who literally said: “And those of us who are 70-plus, we’ll take care of ourselves. But don’t sacrifice the country.”

That left grandparents everywhere that night really confused. My mom was flipping channels, trying to figure out what was going on. She heard the president allude to wanting to open things back up soon, and it caused mild panic. She lives with bronchitis always at bay.

Enter Cuomo today. Fighting for all Americans, saying that Americans are not expendable. That he named New York’s stay-at-home status (he refuses to call it a shelter-in-place) “Matilda’s Law,” after his mother. To protect her. While the New York State On PAUSE executive order is designed to protect all of us in New York, this is where this governor is coming from.

So. Touch base with Cuomo’s press conferences. You will know the facts much sooner, and will be able to make it through any news you read or listen to during the day. You will be able to separate fact from fiction during the president’s press conferences. And you will have the sermons at the end, to bring you back to center.

Governor Cuomo’s Outfits

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Also fun to do: Guess what kind of day it’s going to be by Governor Cuomo’s shirt. I know this is looked down upon when talking about women, and to be honest, I don’t know why this is. Women tend to wear different outfits, color and style their hair so differently, wear very different makeup, and love shoes and accessories. Men - in politics - tend to wear suits and have short hair. There’s not much to work with.

When there is a change, observations can start. Regardless if the person is he/she/them. Normally during the briefings, the governor wears a suit. Very sharp. On Saturday, he wore a khaki polo shirt. It had a different feel for the day, which frankly, was welcome. He was going out scouting that day to look at the Javits Center and other locations for the hospitals. He also went to see for himself the New Yorkers not social distancing in the parks. You don’t want the Mean Dad version of Gov. Cuomo coming after you!

Today, he was in a windbreaker, zipped up all the way. With a giant seal on it. And he was mad.

Noted.

CONNECTING: Beacon's Mayor Kyriacou Issues Regular Coronavirus/COVID-19 Updates Via Email And Phone

Photo Credit: Screencap from City Of Beacon’s website.

Photo Credit: Screencap from City Of Beacon’s website.

Beacon’s Mayor Kyriacou has begun calling and emailing the community regularly via the city’s robo-call service (sign up here). Archives of each message can be found at the City’s website here.

Should you wish to receive the email-only version of it, you can. But hearing someone’s voice can make all the difference in a message.

A new COVID-19 link has been added to the top navigation of the website, that contains updates on the pandemic. Those resources can be found directly here. You’ll be able to refresh the page as city officials update it.

SHELTER: Homeless Shelter Is Set Up At Previously Empty Dutchess County Law Enforcement Center and Jail

Announced on Saturday, March 20, Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro issued an emergency order allowing the previously vacant temporary housing units (PODs) at the Dutchess County Law Enforcement Center and Jail campus to be repurposed as emergency shelters for those in need. The usage started Saturday night.

This decision is in line with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s search for more buildings to retrofit into hospitals, which currently include Javits Convention Center, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Westbury, and Westchester Convention Center.

According to the press release issued by Dutchess County on 3/20/2020:

County Executive Molinaro said, “We are repurposing the vacant PODs at the Law Enforcement Center and Jail campus to be used as shelters for the homeless. We are utilizing every resource at our disposal to respond quickly and effectively to this rapidly evolving health situation. Since social distancing is almost impossible at most homeless shelters, we can use the dormitory-style PODs to help create necessary space to help prevent the further spread of this illness and increase our ability to respond to cases within the homeless population as needed. We are grateful to Andrew O’Grady at Mental Health America, Christa Hines at Hudson River Housing, and Brian Riddell at Dutchess Outreach for making this need come to fruition and to Sheriff Butch Anderson for his swift action to open the PODs to the community during this emergency.”

Dutchess County has partnered with Hudson River Housing (HRH) and Mental Health America (MHA) to operate one of the two modular, dormitory-style buildings, which will be divided into male and female sections, allowing for more social distancing among the shelter clients. The facility has a capacity for up to 100 individuals, including 48 female beds and 52 male beds. The County has also partnered with Dutchess Outreach to provide food service.

There is a separate entrance to the property for shelter clients and staff, with physical barriers between the shelter and the jail for additional security. If needed, an additional POD will be opened as an alternate care facility should any homeless individual need treatment or care.

This executive order follows the County Executive’s recent State of Emergency declaration, which allows for the designation of emergency shelters, medical shelters, and community-based care centers.

Dutchess County Sheriff Adrian “Butch” Anderson said, “We believe in treating others the way we would like to be treated. The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office is proud to help support our community, especially during this difficult time.”

The PODs were opened in 2015 to temporarily house inmates previously boarded in other counties as a cost-saving measure. The PODs have been vacant since early January following the County’s significant work to reduce the population at the jail through restorative justice programs and the implementation of the State’s bail reform legislation.

PUBLIC HEALTH: Domestic Abuse In The Time Of Isolation. Awareness For Local Sources To Call

I am sharing this from the Beacon Mom’s Group. The person who posted it put it pretty directly, so the words can speak for themselves. If you are a person in your home and feel stuck, or if you know of a person in their home who may be feeling or is stuck, reach out. Reach out to them. Help them make a call to get help.

As stated by the Beacon Mom: “Cannot be shared enough. Isolation is not an excuse for abuse or violence. Please know you will find support. No questions. No one here is alone. Please [hear] me. I also recommend writing this number down or adding [to] your phone if possible. If you or someone you know needs help:”

National Domestic Violence hotline (text or call): 1-800-799-7233

To read context of this situation, see this article at Time.com: “As Cities Around the World Go on Lockdown, Victims of Domestic Violence Look for a Way Out”


Family Services - Center For Victim Safety and Support

familyservicesny.org

Safe Homes of Orange County (Newburgh)
Their 24/7 hotline: (845) 562-5340
fearlesshv.org


Hudson Valley House of Hope (Wappingers Falls)
Their 24/7 hotline: (845) 765-0294
hudsonvalleyhouseofhope.org


Grace Smith House (Poughkeepsie)
Their 24/7 hotline: (845) 471-3033
gracesmithhouse.org


Domestic Violence Services of Dutchess County (Poughkeepsie, part of Family Services)
Contact Us page
familyservicesny.org

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Beacon Announces Reduced Public Transit Bus Service Schedule

PUBLISHED: 3/23/2020

In a recent announcement from Dutchess County Transit and the City of Beacon: effective Tuesday, March 24, Public Transit will reduce service.

ONLY the following routes will operate: E, J, K and L From 7 am to 4 pm.

That list does not include the G line, which is the free bus line that runs from the Metro-North train station up and around the Main Street area of Beacon. The G line has paused for now, as we are in the PAUSE Plan as issued for the whole state by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

FOOD: Easy Breakfast/Lunch For All Kids (Toddlers to Teens) From Beacon Schools: New Pickup + Delivery Details

Photo Credit: Top Left and Bottom Right Photos are from Sargent Elementary PTO.

Photo Credit: Top Left and Bottom Right Photos are from Sargent Elementary PTO.

PUBLISHED: 3/23/2020
UPDATED: 4/27/2020

School children registered in the City of Beacon School District are eligible to pick up food packages from two locations: The Beacon High School and South Avenue Elementary. All are welcome to come pick up this food. Social distancing is being practiced. Safe systems are in place to get the food to your hands. Drive your car or walk to pickup. Delivery options are also available and being further developed.

All Kids and Families Are Encouraged To Use The Food - Even You (Yes, You!)

All are encouraged to use the food. Even you if you have a stocked pantry. The food has been rationed for you, and there is plenty of it. In fact, not everyone has been using it. Possibly with the mentality of: “I don’t want to take from someone else - let someone else in need have it.” If that is your mentality, that is a beautiful thought, but go forward with participating in the plan.

If it means you have a little extra, then you’re able to give that to someone in need that you come across directly in your hyper-hyper local neighborhood. Your kids also may be excited to see their old snacks. Even the “alternate lunch” bread of the PB+J. Seems to be that the brown bread of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a particular favorite with my little ones. As are the sugar cereal boxes and apple bags. They are next looking for the pizza. Not sure if that will happen, but so far, the cafeteria staff and the superintendent have been pretty surprising about what food options they are slinging out of there. My cat even likes the turkey and cheese cubes.

New Times and Food Package Pickup

The cafeteria staff is modifying this food distribution plan based on usage and feedback. As of today, it is moving to a two-day pickup schedule. The idea is that you pick up enough meal slots to last between the pickup times. Delivery options exist, and those details are blow.

Pickup Times

MONDAY: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches

WEDNESDAY: 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches

Pickup Locations

10-10:45 am: Beacon High School or South Avenue Elementary

Please pick up from one location only.

Drive or Walk: Says Superintendent Matt Landahl: “A convenient drive-up option is available at both locations, and walk-ups are welcome too. The meals will require some heating up as some items are frozen.”

Frozen meals! Maybe the pizza is coming!

Delivery Options and Sign Up

If you need meal delivery to start on Wednesday (or any day after reading this), you can email the superintendent himself: landahl.m@beaconk12.org or text at 845-372-2286. Please give your address and kids' names. But keep it to this delivery request only. Please do not call. Use his email for other types of correspondence as you normally would.

Says Matt (because honestly, he insists you call him Matt… he has kids in the district too): “You don't need to give a reason, just ask and we will do our best to help. We will confirm before delivery. We are working to increase our delivery and neighborhood drop-offs as well and will notify everyone as we expand.”

First COVID-19 Related Death Confirmed By Dutchess County

On Sunday morning, Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) sent out a notification via its list-serve that Dutchess County has experienced its first known death relating to COVID-19. The person was a 69-year-old male, and details about his condition are below in the complete press release. Said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro: “We have lost a neighbor and extend our sincerest thoughts and prayers to his family and friends. We are grateful to the compassionate healthcare professionals on the front line today caring for patients across our community. This is a stark reminder of the challenge and toll we all face as we come together to respond to this emergency.”

There are currently more than 60 positive cases of COVID-19 and the numbers are expected to increase as more testing becomes available this week. Staying home is critical to stop the spread of COVID-19 to flatten the curve.
— Dutchess County Press Release, 3/22/2020

Perspective: COVID-19 Cases & Testing

As Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been consistently saying during his daily press conferences, cases of COVID-19 will increase as testing increases. Gov. Cuomo has been successful in aggressively fighting for and getting more testing for the state of New York. See here for an example on March 18, 2020, where Gov. Cuomo said: “Last night we tested over 7,500 New Yorkers and found 1,769 new positive cases.” It is key that people remain 6 feet apart from one another, even when socially distancing together in a park, field, track, hiking, etc. Group sports like soccer and basketball where there is physical contact are discouraged.

Preparation For COVID-19 Care

Currently Gov. Cuomo is scouting locations in New York to retrofit as hospitals. Yesterday (Saturday) he was looking at locations for additional hospital beds. The governor said via tweet: “Today we are traveling the state looking at locations for the Army Corps of Engineers to build new beds.” Locations he listed in the tweet were Javits Convention Center, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Westbury, and Westchester Convention Center.

From Dutchess County’s press release:

Poughkeepsie… The Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) has confirmed the first death relating to COVID-19 in Dutchess County. While specific information cannot be provided for privacy reasons, it was confirmed the individual was a 69-year-old male who developed respiratory distress and went directly to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital where he was treated, but died on Friday, March 20, 2020. The individual had not been screened or monitored by DBCH prior to hospitalization.

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said, “We have lost a neighbor and extend our sincerest thoughts and prayers to his family and friends. We are grateful to the compassionate healthcare professionals on the front line today caring for patients across our community. This is a stark reminder of the challenge and toll we all face as we come together to respond to this emergency.”

Behavioral & Community Health Commissioner Dr. Anil Vaidian said, “We offer our deepest condolences to the family. We have been in touch with the family for necessary screening as well as support during this very difficult time. Our entire team continues to work aggressively to fight this battle against COVID-19 and we implore every individual to do their part in the fight by staying home and helping to stop the spread.”

There are currently more than 60 positive cases of COVID-19 in Dutchess and the numbers are expected to increase as more testing becomes available this week. Staying home is critical to stop the spread of COVID-19 to flatten the curve.

Most Current Coronavirus Information Locally

Dutchess County Government continues to provide residents the most current information and guidance on the following channels:

Beacon Trivia: Did You Hear That Siren Too? Totally Normal... Here's What It Is (hint: it's a normal fire alarm from across the river)

PUBLISHED: Sunday, March 22, 2020

Living in Beacon means you get used to certain sounds. Like you would get used to sounds anywhere you live. In Beacon, that means sounds from the train whooshing by on the tracks, and its long whistle blow. It also means, for some people, the evening patio crowd enjoying themselves to music on the waterfront over in Newburgh, across the Hudson River. Depending on where you live, and on weather, sounds carry, especially from the river.

If you have lived in Beacon for a while, but you commute to New York City or elsewhere, you may not be here during the day. Or, you may be here all day every day, but work from inside your home or your office, and you normally don’t go outside as much as you’ve been going outside lately.

So you may be hearing new sounds. One of those sounds is a long siren that sounds like those long sirens in the movies during war time when something is signaled. If you hear this siren for the first time, and if it is during a moment where, let’s say, there is a lot of news coming out about a lot of different coronavirus-related things at once, for instance:

  • California announces for the first time that their residents must shelter in place last Thursday night.

  • Italy has its worst day in deaths (there have been new worse days since)

  • All non-essential business in New York must temporarily close.

…the siren sound might sound a lot different during that part of the morning when you hear it. It might sound like an actual siren from the movies, announcing that you need to act quickly to do … something.

Good News: It’s An Old-Fashioned Fire Alarm!

Good news: It’s a totally normal siren! It is the fire alarm siren from the Middle Hope Fire Department across the river. Says Beacon’s Fire Chief Gary VanVoorhis: “During a particularly humid day, as we had on Friday, sound travels across the water of the Hudson River more.”

The fire chief says that Beacon does not have an old-fashioned siren like that because the city uses modern technological methods to mobilize their volunteer and professional firefighters. For those who like adding to their Beacon Trivia, there is another siren that is used by a private dam, says Beacon’s City Administrator, Anthony Ruggiero.

PS: Auto Accidents “Drastically Down” In Beacon At Moment

By the way, the fire chief added that there has been a drop in auto accidents, since people are staying home. “Auto accidents are drastically down,” he told A Little Beacon Blog last week. Calls for an ambulance are also down. People who are feeling coronavirus symptoms are strongly encouraged to call their health care professional or urgent care first before coming in. This is to protect the workers and other patients in these medical centers.

The City of Beacon has been so responsive to all of our questions here at A Little Beacon Blog as we pursue articles, even while we know that all government officials are in meetings constantly regarding local responses to managing coronavirus. As we work on different articles here, we reach out to verify procedures and ask how things work. We appreciate their responses so much. Very comforting.

Beacon's Mayor Lee Kyriacou Communicates With City Via Robo Call Saturday Afternoon

Photo Credit: Screenshot of City of Beacon’s Website

Photo Credit: Screenshot of City of Beacon’s Website

On Saturday afternoon at 5 pm, just as the day shifts into evening and instincts to socially gather kick into higher gear, Mayor Kyriacou issued a friendly reminder about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s current emergency orders.

Here is the transcript of what he said (did you not get this call? Click here to sign up for Beacon’s Robo-Call System). Robo-messages from the City of Beacon can also be emailed to you.


“I will regularly communicate official information on COVID-19, as well as about its impacts on our lives here in Beacon.

”Please rely on New York State and Dutchess County as official sources. The experts are focused on ‘flattening the curve’ of transmission – to protect at-risk individuals and prevent an overload of our healthcare system.

”The current emergency orders from the Governor include:

  • Non-essential private workers must stay home after Sunday 8 pm

  • Non-essential gatherings of any size are temporarily banned;

  • The closure of non-essential stores is extended to retail malls and personal care services – takeout/delivery is okay for food establishments.

    ”Go to state and county websites for information – you can sign up to receive emails from them:

    https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home
    https://www.dutchessny.gov/ and click on the COVID-19 link

    ”Go to Channel 22 or the City of Beacon website (www.cityofbeacon.org) for local information.

    ”We need to look out for each other.

    ”Thank you.”


A Message From The Howland Cultural Center - Art in the Time of Corona

Editor’s Note: The following is written by Craig Wolf, the President of The Howland Cultural Center. The HCC is currently closed to the public from all events and regular meetings until further notice.

THCC.jpg

Ah, so here we are, with normal life brought to a standstill as we scurry around trying to avoid a virus and cope with the civil restrictions that it brings.

With apologies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez for cloning the title of his great novel, it does seem to offer a bit of a parallel. His heroine is involved with two lovers. Here, we all have two loves. We love our arts. And we love to stay healthy.

Not much is happening publicly here at our little nonprofit. We are an arts center that normally produces and presents performances and exhibits, largely administered by volunteers. We can’t do that right now.

COVID-19 isn’t quite cholera, but it’s serious. And we are serious about getting back to business when they let us. We regret that the postponements include our now-annual gala event, which will have to be rescheduled.

Meanwhile, we continue to work behind the scenes to plan a future, so that this bulletin will once again be filled with art events. We do expect this story to have a happy ending.

But for now, the impact of not producing events is a significant loss of revenue. It is through doing what we do that we earn a good chunk of our keep. What’s left on the revenue side for now is just donations. Thankfully, many friends have recently responded to our annual campaign, which we now call Friends of the Howland Center. And we thank you again.

So, if you have yet to help, now would be a good time. A really good time.

How do you become a friend at a social distance?  Good thing we invented the internet. You just click right here.

Best to all of you from the Howland crew, and stay tuned.

On behalf of our board and volunteers.

SBA (Small Business Association) Makes Up To $2 Million Loans Available To Small Business, Non-Profits Impacted By Coronavirus

Early in March, the federal SBA (Small Business Administration) announced that businesses impacted by coronavirus could apply for a low-interest federal disaster loans.

The details of this were announced by Dutchess County on March 17, 2020. Below is the press release that explains how the loan works and how to apply:

Small Businesses in Dutchess County
Now Eligible for Disaster Relief
03/17/2020


Poughkeepsie ... The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). SBA acted under its own authority, as provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act that was recently signed by the President, to declare a disaster following a request received from Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont on March 15, 2020.

Our small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. This first wave of assistance from the federal government is essential to provide some stability to our businesses and not-for-profits struggling with cash flow. I am grateful to the SBA for including Dutchess in this declaration.
— Dutchess County Executive, Marcus J. Molinaro

The disaster declaration made SBA assistance available in Connecticut, as well as the contiguous counties of Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester in New York.

“SBA is strongly committed to providing the most effective and customer-focused response possible to assist small businesses with federal disaster loans. We will be swift in our efforts to help these small businesses recover from the financial impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19),” said Administrator Jovita Carranza.

Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro said, “Our small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. This first wave of assistance from the federal government is essential to provide some stability to our businesses and not-for-profits struggling with cash flow. I am grateful to the SBA for including Dutchess in this declaration.”

SBA Customer Service Representatives will be available to answer questions about SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and explain the application process.

Who Can Apply For The Disaster Relief Loan

Access to EIDL funds will help businesses cover basic essentials, such as payroll and fixed costs, in the short term and will bring much needed certainty and stability at a time when it’s needed most. The Chamber and Mid-Hudson Small Business Development Center is here to assist organizations with navigating this program and gaining access to low interest capital.
— Frank Castella, Presdient of the Dutchess County Chamber of Commerce

“Small businesses, private nonprofit organizations of any size, small agricultural cooperatives and small aquaculture enterprises that have been financially impacted as a direct result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) since Jan. 31, 2020, may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred,” said Carranza.

“These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Disaster loans can provide vital economic assistance to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing,” Carranza added.

Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Frank Castella, Jr., said, “Access to EIDL funds will help businesses cover basic essentials, such as payroll and fixed costs, in the short term and will bring much needed certainty and stability at a time when it’s needed most. The Chamber and Mid-Hudson Small Business Development Center is here to assist organizations with navigating this program and gaining access to low-interest capital. We remain hopeful [that] consumer confidence and demand will be steady, supportive drivers for local businesses and nonprofit organizations — as this is essential, now more than ever, in moving the economy forward.”

“We know the impacts that the COVID-19 situation is causing and look forward to doing all we can to help our small businesses here in Dutchess County get through this challenge,” said SBA Regional Administrator Steve Bulger.

Who Is Eligible For Economic Injury Disaster Loans?

Eligibility for Economic Injury Disaster Loans is based on the financial impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses. The interest rate for private nonprofit organizations is 2.75%. SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years and are available to entities without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship.

How To Apply

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Connection points include:

  • Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at:
    (800) 659-2955

  • Email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

  • Individuals who are deaf or hard‑of‑hearing may call (800) 877-8339.

Completed applications should be mailed to:
U.S. Small Business Administration
Processing and Disbursement Center
14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Deadline To Apply

The deadline to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan is Dec. 16, 2020.

For more information about Coronavirus, please visit: http://www.Coronavirus.gov.

For more information about available SBA resources and services, please visit: http://www.SBA.gov/coronavirus.

###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.sba.gov.

Governor Cuomo Issues Directive To New York State Mortgage Servicers To Pause Payments For 90 Days (At Least)

Photo Credit: Ruby Martin (my 9-year-old assistant, taking this photo safely from a passenger seat of the car.

Photo Credit: Ruby Martin (my 9-year-old assistant, taking this photo safely from a passenger seat of the car.

A Little Beacon Blog has been pursuing this story for two weeks. We have made inquires to local, state-based banks to see if they were thinking of pausing billing - tacking these months of payments to future months. We received some positive answers, but nothing concrete to publish. Also note: it is not clear what this means for non-state issued banks. Like Quicken Loans (who we are with), who has been fabulous throughout our loan management process, but figuring out who to call (first) tomorrow to pursue this loan modification will take several deep breaths. Looks like this is a win in the direction of going with a local bank. :)

While this photo is not a directive to any one financial institution in particular, it was a billboard that we saw while on our daily drive-around as we drive my toddler into his nap. (He’s normally in daycare but we paused that in the name of #flattenthecurve… and it’s SO HARD to also substitute-teach two the older kids at home while the little one is running around chasing us, squirting us with cleaning supplies he finds!)

Back to the point. The main point. The point about how Governor Cuomo just issued a directive to banks to pause mortgage payments for those in financial hardship because of the coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak. Which is all of us who just lost jobs. Part-time jobs. Gig jobs. Full-time jobs. Client jobs.

In Governor Cuomo’s own words, here is how this directive will work. The details are most likely being fleshed out, but here is the direction. Not being an economic expert here, I’m not sure that this will work because money needs money to keep churning. But am hoping that the invisible hand of both spending money with our local businesses (keeping membership payments in place, buying takeout from restaurants, buying from the websites of our Main Street boutiques, etc.) will help.

From Governor Cuomo’s Press Conference, March 19, 2020:

 

We're also going to take a bold action but a necessary action, offering 90-day relief of mortgage payments. Waiving payments based on financial hardship. Meaning, if you are not working. If you are working only part-time. We are going to have the banks and financial institutions waive mortgage payments for 90 days. That will be a real-life economic benefit. It will also be a stress reliever for many families.

Waiving these payments will not have a negative effect on your credit report. There will be a grace period for loan modification. We are not exempting people from the mortgage payments, we are just adjusting the mortgage to include those payments on the back end.

No late fees or online payments fee. Postponing or suspending any foreclosures during this time. And waiving those fees for ATMs and credit cards. This is a real-life benefit. People are under tremendous economic pressure. Making a mortgage can be a No. 1 stressor. Eliminating that stressor for 90 days I think will go a long way. We will reassess as the situation goes on, if that should be extended or not.

(Toward the end of the press conference, he added this): You're going to have time with your family. You're going to have time at home. In this busy, hurry-up world.

 

OK! Until tomorrow!

The Internet Is Getting Overloaded. Netflix Limits Streaming In Europe To Preserve Bandwidth

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When you started working from home, you may have thought that your Internet was glitchy. Your kids may have been throwing fits at the Xbox because it kept skipping. You are not alone. The Internet is getting clogged because none of us want to be alone. We are all connecting at once through Zoom, Google Classroom, GoToWebinar, Live Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/YouTube, streaming videos on YouTube. Streaming shows on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+. Press conferences. So much streaming.

Netflix announced today (3/19/2020) that it will limit streaming in Europe. This has been a discussion for a while over there, as people are having trouble uploading and downloading content.

As reported by Deadline: “The European Union’s Internal Market and Services Commissioner, Thierry Breton, has called on streaming platforms such as Netflix and YouTube to take measures to prevent internet gridlock as the response to the coronavirus places additional strain on communications networks.”

More from the article: “In a call placed Wednesday, he urged Netflix CEO Reed Hastings to serve only standard-definition content to users in times of peak demand. With vast numbers of people now working from home, and using video chat and digital messages to stay in touch with friends and family, and as users increase their time spent on streaming platforms, Breton said streamers had a role to play in ensuring telecom operators weren’t overwhelmed.”

Please read the full article here, but please use these ideas to conserve and free up the Internet. The goal is to spread out our global usage of the Internet. We need the videos from you! From our teachers, our fitness studios, everyone who is doing creative things to try to stay in business digitally.

  • Try to check your social at certain times of the day. Not all day.

  • Maybe don’t make live videos all day. Maybe don’t watch the live videos. Every single person coming on there is contributing to bandwidth usage. I want everyone to make live videos so badly, but maybe we just need to limit it at certain times.

  • Music: If you stream music from Apple or Spotify or something, just go buy some albums from iTunes. Put a bunch of the CDs in your basement onto your computer (OK, that’s from my own to-do list because I’ve never been a music streamer… I never trusted the cloud! ‘Clouds can blow away,’ is what I always said, though I subscribe to a bunch of them…keep your subscriptions! We will emerge from this.)

  • Limit kid video playdates to certain times.

  • Having a lot of meetings on Zoom? Maybe tell your boss that you need to conserve teleconferencing bandwidth. GoToWebinar is already very slow at times (worked great when it worked, just took a while for it to start) and I have been hearing that downloading Zoom is taking a long time. Sorry, Boss!

  • Not sure if these work, but: close unused tabs in your browser and on your phone. Don’t use these and reminder placeholders anymore.

  • If a press conference is happening right now, maybe watch it later. Not live. (Or watch on regular TV instead of streaming.)

  • Get cable! I was never a cord-cutter. I always knew that streaming would get expensive because we’d be signing up for so many services! So get that cable box back, LOL! (But to be honest, I don’t know the technology of cable; it might all run on WiFi anyway at this point.)

  • Turn the TV off when you leave the room.

  • Close browser tabs when you’re done with them.

Key Food Reserves Every Morning 7 to 8 am For Seniors-Only Shopping. Plus, A Tip For Protecting Older People

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PUBLISHED: Thursday, March 19, 2020

Call it the Adult Swim of the Coronavirus Era: Seniors are getting a dedicated block of time, 7 to 8 am every day, to shop in Key Food so as to limit exposures to others (especially those who may be asymptomatic or feeling only mild symptoms). “Seniors” are considered to be anyone 60 and older. Key Food also offers delivery, as well as online ordering and delivery through InstaCart.

Other grocery stores have set similar hours, including Adams Fairacre Farms, Dollar General, Stop and Shop, and ShopRite. One follower of Adams, Brittany Mackey, a holistic health practitioner, suggested on Adams’ social media that stores consider this a permanent trend after the pandemic is over: “How about we keep this going after all this is said and done!!”

Beacon Natural Market has taken the route of not limiting hours by customers’ age, and is going with the strategy of not wanting to foster the unintended consequences of clustering an age group or increasing the number of people in the store at once. Bettina Fries, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Medicine, had concerns about the dedicated hours, and told the Washington Post: “I hope the scattered shopping hours would lead to seniors being in a store with less people,” she said. “It’s less likely that you will have [a] senior with coronavirus in a store because they’re less likely to be asymptomatic.”

On the other hand, grocery stores do need time to re-stock. Said Beacon Natural to A Little Beacon Blog: “We’re also hoping to use some extra morning hours to have our staff restock without customers in the store, thereby reducing their exposure. But we certainly support any and all efforts stores are doing to help serve their communities. We’re all making this up as we go along. There is no precedent.”

A Tip For Protecting Older People

With recommendations from the CDC that older people and people with heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes are at higher risk for being in serious condition from coronavirus/COVID-19, there are a few extra things you can do to protect seniors - sometimes from themselves. According to the CDC today (3/19/2020), data coming in shows that older people 65+ are tending to get hospitalized the most. However, those in their 20s are also not risk-free. The best things to do are grocery delivery for everyone, have a super-reduced number of people in a store, and constantly wipe surfaces at the check-out line, front and exit door, and other commonly touched surfaces.

  • Talk To, But Back Away From, Seniors: An older person might not know about social distancing, and might not believe in or know about the pandemic. If you have an older neighbor who has early-stage dementia, for instance, and if that older neighbor sees you on the sidewalk, and rushes out of their house to come say Hi! to you and even hug you, back away. If this happens while you are with your children, who don’t know how to react in that situation, gently move your child back with you and tell the older person you are being careful because you might have a little cold (even if you don’t). This happened to me with one of our very jubilant and social neighbors, so it seemed like a good bit to pass along.

  • Give A Senior Space: If you’re shopping in the grocery store and a senior is near you, back away and take another direction.

  • A Senior In Denial: You may know a person who is 60+ and is in great shape. They may be in denial about their exposure, and they may be out and about. Wave to them from afar, and make sure to walk with the minimum 6 feet of social distance between you.

  • Don’t Visit Grandparents Right Now: Even if you have young and healthy grandparents, they are probably over 60 years old. It’s easy to forget that your own mom or dad are “older” and at risk. So just FaceTime or MarcoPolo them, or walk at a far social distance in the woods. Scenic areas are picking up with humans as we all try to social distance, so if it’s too crowded even in nature, look for a different nature spot. (This is why green space is important to preserve in cities as they plan development, and why Scenic Hudson does a lot of great work purchasing and maintaining open land!)

  • Seniors Need Socializing: So we need to connect with and talk to our senior friends. They may be at home all day watching any news channel that is producing good but scary reporting. Or propagating conspiracy theories. If you see a senior out and about, keep your distance, but let them talk to you, and answer them in a reassuring way.

  • Seniors Sometimes Don’t Ask For Help: Keep an eye on your older neighbor. If they deny your offer to help, just start trying to observe what they might need.

  • Use the Mutual Aid Beacon Group of Volunteers: This is a growing group of people from Beacon who have signed up to be volunteers to help get things for people who can’t do it themselves. No task or request is too small. Visit their website here.

List Of Coronavirus Links and Resources

Photo Credit: A Little Beacon Blog

Photo Credit: A Little Beacon Blog

UPDATE: 5/16/2020

Let’s be real. The links dubbed as “official” are coming in fast and furious. We have started adding them to this dedicated page. When we add a new one, we consider who shared it with us (like if that person was a government source or a respected media outlet), we will indicate that source, and move the publication date up of this article so that it’s at the top of your article collection as you read our articles on the Coronavirus tag.

NEW YORK STATE

New York State 24/7 Coronavirus Hotline 24/7: 1-888-364-3065

New York State Mental and Emotional Counseling Hotline: 844-863-9314
Open 8am-10pm 7 days a week.

Emotional Support For Health Care Workers: Health care workers can text NYFRONTLINE to 741-741 to access 24/7 emotional support services.

New York State’s Coronavirus Page
New York State’s Official Coronavirus Page. Updated daily. A bullet list at the top of the page lists the major developments of the day.
https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home

New York State’s Phased Reopening Plan
Industries Reopening By Phase
An updated page of industries with descriptions of the industry, and plans that need to be met by the businesses in order to open.

NY Forward: A Guide To Reopening New York and Building Back Better

The Guide to Essential vs Non-Essential Businesses (from before the NY Forward Reopening Plan)

New York State Coronavirus Update Email
You can sign up via the link below for emails from New York State.
https://now.ny.gov/page/s/coronavirus-updates

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Twitter
An amazing updating of what is happening hour-by-hour, sometimes minute-by-minute. An easy way to listen to daily briefings on your phone.
https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo

Testing for Coronavirus
- Get the up-to-date information at the New York State COVID-19 Website.
The experience of how to get tested changes. As it changes, New York State updates their COVID-19 website.
According to the New York State Website:
- (As of 3/21/2010) “Testing is free to all eligible New Yorkers as ordered by a health care provider or by calling the NYS COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-364-3065.”

New York State and Dutchess County urge you to not go to your doctor or an Urgent Care without calling them first. The medical professionals need to prepare to see you. If you are infected with COVID-19, you could expose their office and other patients.

Your doctor may use a telemedicine session with you also. Governor Cuomo has waved all copays for telehealth visits (3/14/2020). Several insurance companies have waived testing and other costs associated to testing.

Dutchess County Testing Locations (this is a live list that is updated as testing increases)

CDC

CDC’s Coronavirus Page
A very clear way to find up-to-date information and stats about coronavirus.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
What to do when you feel sick: CDC Recommendations

WHO

WHO (World Health Organization)
A very clear way to hear about the latest things researchers have learned about coronavirus, and the state of the health care management system and its needs.
https://www.who.int/

WHO’s Website Tool Tracking Coronavirus Caseshttps://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd

BEACON

City Of Beacon Website
www.cityofbeacon.org

City Of Beacon City Council Meetings
Board meetings (City Council, Zoning, Planning) are now being held via video conferencing. City Council Meetings or Workshops every Monday at 7pm.
Get to their channel here.

Beacon’s Mayor’s Update via Emergency Robo-Call System
Want periodic updates phone-calls and emails from the Mayor? Or announcements of important updates?
Sign Up Here >

Quarantined In Beacon And Need Help?
The Mutual Aid of Beacon Group formed and has at least 80 local volunteers ready to help if you cannot leave your house and need help getting things. Take a look at the website - it is really neat! Makes you feel safe living in Beacon. It is a system of connected people who can help. Even if a person doesn’t use technology, there are neighbors who want to look out for them.
Call (845) 206-9836 or email mutualaidbeacon@gmail.com
http://www.beaconmutualaid.com/
Facebook Link

SUPPORTING MAIN STREET BUSINESSES IN BEACON

Restaurants in Beacon: Who is still open, with COVID-19 updates as we learn them. Free. Businesses can submit as needed.
Shopping Boutiques in Beacon: Who is still open, with COVID-19 updates as we learn them. Free. Businesses can submit as needed.
Source: A Little Beacon Blog, edited by Marilyn Perez

DUTCHESS COUNTY

Dutchess County Coronavirus Hotline: 845-486-3555
Open 9am-5pm 7 days a week

Dutchess County’s COVID-19 Case Tracker (aka “Community Impact Dashboard”)
Statistics on positive COVID-19 cases by city/town/municipality, deaths, recovered, etc.
Details >

Orange County COVID-19 Case Tracker
Statistics on positive COVID-19 cases in Newburgh and City of Newburgh.
Details >

Dutchess Responds
A website coordinate volunteer efforts, urgent requests for PPE (masks, sanitizer, gowns, face shields, etc.). If you have any to donate, or if your business can manufacture them.
Details >

Tela-mental-health 24/7 (stress, anxiety, depression, drugs and alcohol): 888-692-9355

United Way Of The Dutchess-Orange Region:
https://www.uwdor.org/covid19-communityresources
Super huge and long list of very helpful links of all kinds.

Dutchess County Coronavirus COVID-19 Website

Dutchess County State of Emergency

Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health

Dutchess County Mental Health Services

BUSINESS HELP

Dutchess Business Notification Network
A website and notification email of updates in the local business world.
https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home
Source: Dutchess County (Ron Hicks) and Dutchess County Chamber of Commerce (Frank Castella)

SBA Disaster Loan Assistance
Application for the SBA Disaster Loan Assistance Program for up to $2 million.
https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela
More about that loan and how it came to be:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NYDUTCHESS/bulletins/281a0f9

Paycheck Protection Program
The Overview page for the program. Is updated.

The FAQ page for the program that provides a lot of detailed guidance. Is updated.

Business Questions for New York State
Place your business questions here for the state. Give them time to respond.
https://esd.ny.gov/covid-19-help

FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Dutchess County Office for the Aging
Good for people looking for info about the county's Home Delivered Meals program - either as a volunteer or a recipient.
https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Aging/OFA-Home-Delivered-Meals-Groceries.htm

LIFE HELP + MENTAL HEALTH
Domestic Violence Resources
https://www.alittlebeaconblog.com/blog/lifestyle-domestic-abuse-in-the-time-of-isolation-awareness-for-local-sources-to-call

PET PREP + HELP
How to foster and adopt during the time of coronavirus.
https://www.alittlebeaconblog.com/blog/pets-consider-fostering-a-dog-or-cat-if-someone-gets-too-sick-to-care-for-them

STATISTICS

nCoV2019
A website created by a 17-year old named Avi Schiffmann. He started it in December 2019 when COVID-19 started in Wuhan, China. His website pulls information from local health department websites via a method called “web scraping.” He builds upon the website based on user feedback. As of 3/19/2019, the website shows stats for: confirmed cases, total deceased, total serious, total recovered.
https://ncov2019.live/
Source: Democracy Now