Where To Buy Face Coverings From Mask Makers In Beacon and Beyond

Due to COVID-19 and state regulations, we are required to wear face masks when social distancing is hard to do. Like, going to the grocery store, post office, gas station, etc. As the reopening starts, you might be coming out of your house more and more. You’re going to need a lot of different face masks! An easy solution is to keep a face covering in your car(s), in your purse, on your key rack, etc. You may have already noticed the new dice hanging above the dashboard in cars - yup - it’s the face mask.

Friendly Facial Cue Alternatives

When you can’t make a smile, here are some facial cue alternatives:

• Nod your head & hello.

• Make a really big smile so your eyes really crinkle up!

• Do a friendly wave.

• Talk a little louder than normal so people can hear you.

• Don’t be shy!

For all of the years plain white face masks have been worn in China, it is a bit unbelievalbe that they did not use pretty or stylish printed patterned fabric before. During this pandemic crisis, the CDC has issued new guidelines that relax the fabric and construction requirements of a traditional medical mask for a person wearing a face covering in a socially distanced situation out in public. The CDC and the Surgeon General of the United States of America even allow bandanas or T-shirt material folded in a special way and secured with rubber bands around the ears.

Not only can we wear stylish face coverings, we can buy them from an army of makers. Many makers in Beacon have been stitching the face masks since before the mandate went into place. At first they were stitching for front line workers, like nursing home and medical office staff. And some continue to that. Some makers have opened their proverbial shops to sew for the rest of us who want to support them and buy from them. Some are artists who have lost income streams, and others has shifted their fashion production lines to produce masks.

Below is A Little Beacon Blog’s Face Mask Gift Guide. Most are from makers, but if a local boutique is selling them from a larger fashion line, we will include that as well because it helps the shop. Additionally, if we know of a wholesome source of face masks that is out of state, we may include that as well. Please note, these coverings and masks are not medical grade. Use CDC guidelines and use FDA-approved items if possible and these only as a last resort. These products have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These masks are not an N95 Respirator. Use these products at your own risk. I If you cannot afford to buy a face mask, please email Beacon’s Mutual Aid Group mutualaidbeacon@gmail.com who can direct you to a way that free face masks are being handed out for free to those in need.

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BEANS CAT CAFE
Instagram >

SHOP MASKS HERE

Beans Cat Café is a cafe in Beacon that offers they baked goods from Frida’s Bakery and Café in Milton, NY, as well as a wide variety of beverages that will only be served in the café area. Included is a cat lounge that includes seating, board games, and up to 8 cats at a time that are all adoptable through Hudson Valley Animal Rescue and Sanctuary (HVARS) in Poughkeepsie.

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BLACKBIRD ATTIC

(845) 418-4840
SHOP MASKS HERE

Blackbird Attic is a Modern & Vintage Consignment Celebrating 10 Years in Business. Although there doors are currently closed, they are operating as an Insta PopUp Shop! See their instagram HERE. They will be accepting seasonal items soon (40% pay out) and are offering curbside pick-up, free local delivery, flat rate shipping for $7.50, and free shipping for purchases above $80.

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THE CRAFTY SQUIRRELS

@thecraftysquirrels84
https://www.facebook.com/MiriamRamirezK
ORDER MASKS VIA INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK

Dulce is a local "Crafter in Training" who has always had the passion for sewing. “The Crafty Squirrels” was in the process of becoming a small home business when COVID happened. Sewing has been helpful for Dulce in these dire times and after many friends and family requested face masks, she decided she would like to also help make them available to our community. Dulce likes to put time and effort into each of the items made. Just recently, she added the "Beacon = Strong" mask for sale.

Masks are $10 each with 3 layers of fabric, choice of pocket filter and elastic around the head or ears. The Beacon Strong masks are $12 with a portion of the proceedings to be donated to Fareground Community Kitchen.

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BEACON BEE

beaconbeebiz@gmail.com
(845) 337-8319
SHOP MASKS HERE

Beacon Bee has added a handmade, 100% cotton, bee print face mask to their line of honeybee related products. The mask has two layers of fabric (backing fabric comes in dark or light blue), and a versatile loop strap. $10.00 each and 10% goes to Fareground Community Kitchen.

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ARIELLE

info@shop-arielle.com
@shop_arielle
SHOP MASKS HERE

ARIELLE is a sustainable apparel company committed to organic, recycled and zero-waste fabrics, local manufacturing, fair-trade operations and plastic-free packaging & production. Non-medical fabric masks meet the CDC suggestion for face coverings. Organic, washable, reusable mask features interior wool filter for particle capture, moisture wicking, and antimicrobial protection.

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BETSY WISE

beaconandgrace@gmail.com
@beaconandgrace
SHOP MASKS HERE

Betsy Wise is a local beaconnite making and selling masks out of her home. Typically, Betsy runs Betsy Wise Bridal, a custom tailoring business, but with weddings having to postpone, Betsy has created a temporary new business. Custom made masks for adults, kids and businesses! Her fabrics are featured on her site from Beetle and Fred.

• Bendable nose wire conforms to the bridge of your nose for a snug fit

• Choose between elastic ear loops or ties

• Request an optional pocket to add your own filter. Ideal for healthcare workers!

• Choose from a wide variety of colors and patterns suitable for adults and children.

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INNER BEAUTY EFFECTS

hello@innerbeautyeffects.com
(845) 391-0938
SHOP MASKS HERE

Inner Beauty Effects is a Hudson Valley based fashion design company, who for a brief period rented a hallway studio in Atlas Studios in Newburgh to conduct podcasts with women entrepreneurs. Originally they made durable bags with an exciting pop of fabric on the inside. Now they are making face masks in pleasant fabrics you’ll feel good about wearing around. Inner Beauty Effects is also selling surface & hand sanitizer! Free shipping on 3 or more masks with code: FREESHIP
DO GOOD FACTOR: For every mask purchased, one mask will be given away to a health care worker. There is also a way to submit if you cannot afford a mask and need one for free. Additionally, there is an option to simply donate materials.

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BEACON NATURAL MARKET

348 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508
Beacon348@verizon.net
CONTACT HERE TO PURCHASE MASKS

Beacon Natural Market has been selling face masks from local makers and artists. This is a good opportunity to buy from an artist you did not know about before. Not all masks from the same maker may be in stock. The mask pictured here is made by Brady Quinn, who Beacon Natural says is their “favorite quilter extraordinaire and Habitat for Humanity Newburgh site manager! We’re selling them for $12 each & the money raised will be split between Habitat Newburgh and Beacon Community Kitchen.”

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TARA MCPHERSON

 info@taramcpherson.com
SHOP MASKS HERE

Tara McPherson is a well known artist who moved to Beacon with her family. People collect her art as stickers, posters, dolls, board games, etc. Now her art is collectable as a face mask. Learn more about the meaning of her paintings here. “Tara exhibits her paintings and serigraphs in fine art galleries all over the world. Named the crown princess of poster art by ELLE Magazine, she has created numerous gig posters for rock bands such as Beck, The Pixies, and Metallica. She has worked with Sony Pictures Animation doing character designs & creative development. Her array of art also includes a variety of toys with Kidrobot, painted covers for DC Vertigo Comics, advertising illustrations for Wyden+Kennedy, Barton F Graf, Publicis, and Bernstein Andrulli. She taught in the Illustration department at Parsons in NYC for 4 years.”

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LAMERE CLOTHING & GOODS

Online 24/7
436 Main St.
Beacon, NY 12508
(646) 236-3908
SHOP MASKS HERE

La Mere Clothing and Goods is a clothing boutique base on Main Street in Beacon. Brands carried include Free People and other labels.

20% OFF SITEWIDE CODE: STAYHOME20 + FREE SHIPPING!

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AMY C WILSON

SHOP MASKS HERE

Amy lives in Beacon, with a shop in the Old Beacon High School now known as KUBE. “Amy is a celebrated Spiritual Medium, Psychometrist and practitioner of the Magickal Arts. She is a teacher of Witchcraft, gifted healer, psychic reader and long-time Witch. Amy is much sought-after for her Energy Work and has contributed her impressions in missing persons cases.

”Amy has worked in various New York City occult stores for over 25 years, specializing in healing others through Candle Magick. She is presently the proprietress of Other Worldly Waxes, an online and brick-and-mortar magickal apothecary located in Beacon, New York, that features magickal oils and incenses for spell-work, and custom-dressed and ritually charged spell candles for both online customers and her private clientele.”

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HONORABLE INK

Honorable Ink is a tattoo shop located on Main Street in Beacon, and is selling masks made out of the sleeves of T-shirts!
SHOP MASKS HERE

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ALABAMA CHANIN

462 Lane Drive
Florence, AL 35630
+1 (256) 760-1090 
office@alabamachanin.com
SHOP MASKS HERE

Alabama Chanin is “slow design” pioneer in fashion design. She began early in 2000 with the creation of hand-sewn garments made from cotton jersey t-shirts. “We are a leader in elevated craft due to a strong belief in tradition and dedication to locally sewn garments and goods—both hand and machine-sewn. We maintain responsible, ethical, and sustainable practices holding ourselves to the highest standards for quality. We are makers and educators, working to elevate and merge design, craft, and fashion.”

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ZAKKA JOY

177 Main Street
Beacon, NY
12508
(845) 632-3383
SHOP MASKS HERE

Zakka Joy is a boutique on Main Street that has lots of fun things in stock. Now, they have face masks.

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TELLERHILL OF THE HUDSON VALLEY

Hyde Park, NY
SHOP MASKS HERE

This face mask has a filter pocket and great reviews.

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KENNY’S MASKS

kennysmasks@gmail.com
(845) 240-0039
SHOP MASKS HERE

Please your orders through Instagram direct message @kennysmasks, email or text.

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LILAC HILL DESIGNS

PO Box 3672, Kingston NY 12402
(845) 853-6068
SHOP MASKS HERE

Lilac Hill Designs is run by a creative who has been a graphic designer for 30 years, but returned to her love for sewing which started at age 10. She is an avid gardener, developed a cross-body gardening bag, and is making masks with a bendable nose and filter.

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MIXTURE

1607 Route 300 Suite 1
Newburgh, NY 12550
(845) 561-2857
SHOP MASKS HERE

Mixture is a screen-printing shop based in Newburgh who prints t-shirts, bags, and more for many local businesses, including A Little Beacon Blog! They printed our totes.

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Beacon Flower Shops Stay Closed But Shoppable Amid NY State Wide Gardening Reopen

Gardening centers in New York are open on the first reopening day in New York state - May 15, 2020 - but retail floral shops have to keep their doors closed. But that does not mean they aren’t open for business and slinging flowers from inside behind a closed door. According to Governor Cuomo, “Certain low-risk business and recreational activities --including Landscaping, Gardening, Tennis & Drive-In-Movie Theaters -- will reopen statewide on May 15th.”

A garden center is usually outside, but can have a retail component to it inside, like Sunny Gardens on Route 9D in Wappingers. A retail flower shop on Main Street, however, falls under retail, and shops on Main Street have been keeping their doors closed, but doing as much business as they can from the inside via curbside pickups and deliveries.

Since the beginning of the PAUSE order, retail shops have been able to have one person in the store to process orders and get shipping ready. Many shop owners in Beacon have been doing personal deliveries - sometimes same day!

Retail In Dutchess County As Of Reopening Day: Doors Closed, But Owners Serve As Personal Shoppers From Inside Via Phone

The physical shopping experience inside of retail shops remains on New York’s PAUSE plan, and when a region meets its metrics, Retail is in Phase 2. Dutchess County has not yet met its metrics. According to a press release sent by Dutchess County earlier this week, the County Executive Marcus Molinaro at a Town Hall delivered digitally on May 13, 2020, indicated that the reopening would come in time.

“The final two criteria the region must meet – 14 consecutive days of decline in new hospitalizations and 14 consecutive days of decline in deaths – will prove extremely difficult for the region, including Dutchess County, to meet. A single day with an increase over the previous day in either category resets the 14-day clock. The County Executive noted that without some adjustment to those metrics, the Mid-Hudson Region could be forced to wait much longer than originally anticipated to enter ‘Phase 1’ even though there is overall improvement in all categories.”

Shop owners of all kinds - from clothing to floral - have turned into personal shoppers for people. During this spring season, floral shops on Main Street have been busy - as busy as they can be in a shut-down. Says Courtney Sedor of Raven Rose: “Raven Rose is open per the mandate for curbside pickup and delivery Tuesday-Saturday 11am-3pm. Flexible pickup is possible as I live above the store so have accommodated customers for early morning pickups or evenings if they are still working.”

Flora Good Times’s owner Corinne Bryson has been taking questions and special requests via her shop’s Instagram, and even started a new virtual consulting service for people needing to know how to plant indoors or out and need a plant whisperer.

Ordering From Flower Shops On Main Street

Batt’s Florist and Sweets in the middle of Main Street has been delivering almost daily since before Easter, Raven Rose on Beacon’s east end (near the mountain) has been inside her shop making bouquets and arrangements for pickups, Mother’s Day, weddings, elopements, baby showers, and funerals. Flora Good Times has been hosting bouquet making video workshops, slinging a subscription flower service, and making deliveries.

“Can I Come In…?”

People are ready to shop. That much is clear. Target has been open, hardware stores are open, grocery stores, etc. The social aspect and visual experience of shopping is real, and people want it back. Corinne of Flora Good Times told A Little Beacon Blog: “I had a dozen or more people hell-bent on coming into the shop last weekend.”

Last weekend was Mother’s Day, and Flora Good Times had been heavily promoting Mother’s Day bouquets that people could come pick up outside of the store, or could arrange for delivery. Flora Good Times is a very small shop with somewhat of a greenhouse in the back, so the humidity factor inside is high, and social distancing inside would be difficult. “I had to keep the door locked and I put a sandwich board out saying ‘curbside pickup pre-orders only.’ I made people order from their cars, to be honest.”

Back on the east end of Main Street, at Raven Rose, owner Courtney has been inside of the shop during her regular open hours, “partially to keep my sanity,” she told A Little Beacon Blog, but with the door closed. “People can pick up, and I am inside making arrangements for delivery orders like weddings for a single bridal bouquet and boutonniere, and funerals. One woman pre-ordered a bouquet, picked it up, and as she was walking down the street with it in her arms, another woman asked where she got it. So, that woman called the store to ask if she could buy one too, and I said sure, and had it ready in 20 minutes.”

Flora Good Times’ Home page, letting visitors select the online retail side, or the brochure side of the site.
Photo Credit: Flora Good Times

Website Shopping - The Floral Shops Go Online For Pickup Orders

What has been one of the biggest trends in storefronts staying alive or keeping a pulse - is building a website that makes their inside inventory available online. Not all brick and mortars go down the path of offering a website, as it is a daunting task, but the pandemic called for desperate measures. Several of store owners took deep breaths and took the plunge into building a website in order to keep selling to their customers.

Both Flora Good Times and Raven Rose were florists that put energies into getting their inventory online quickly. Flora Good Times launched a second website via Square that just lists the items for sale right now. This includes seeds, planters, indoor plants, bouquets, home goods and plant care like this very necessary metal watering can.

Raven Rose has a large store with an open-air feeling. Her inventory goes well beyond flowers to include home goods, books, interior design items, and gardening items like these totes adorbs pruning sheers.

However you get your flower on this spring, you do have options in Beacon. See A Little Beacon Blog’s Shopping Guide to COVID-19 tips and retail discoveries.

Barber Shop Employee In Kingston (Ulster County) Operating Illicitly Tests Positive For COVID-19; Kingston Announces Temporary Layoffs

A barbershop in Kingston has been cutting hair “illicitly,” as announced by Ulster County on Wednesday via press release on their website and Facebook post. The post, which went up yesterday, has 1.4K shares and 462 comments. A Little Beacon Blog has reached out to Kingston’s Mayor and Ulster County’s Executive to see if this knowledge was gained from a contact tracing program.

Kingston had not announced the news on their website as of this publishing, but did announce that the city is entering into a Phase 2 Recovery Plan, which means they are temporarily laying off select city workers.

Ulster County’s Health Commissioner Dr. Carol Smith encouraged people who had gotten a hair cut at a barbershop on Broadway within the last 3 weeks should pursue testing. The press release reminded people about the low priority level of salons and barber shops during the pandemic: “During the ongoing New York Pause directives from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, no barbershops, beauty salons, nail salons or other personal hygiene services are allowed to be open and operating for fear of spreading the potentially deadly virus.”

Governor Cumo’s Position On Barbershops and Salons

Hair care has been one of the hardest things to live without during quarantine. In theory, it seems like a semi-solitary activity. Only two people are involved, though direct contact is required. Governor Cuomo told Trevor Noah on Noah’s Daily Social Distancing Show in April 23, 2020, that he didn’t view salons and barbershops as essential, as too much risk is involved to operate. As reported in Vulture, “It has to be phased in,” said Cuomo when asked whether or not he’d pull a Georgia and open everything at once. “It has to be slow and building and watch that infection rate as you start to open up the valve to reopen … Basically, it’s a matrix. How essential is the business and how high a risk does the business pose?”

Meanwhile, At A Salon In Texas…

A salon owner in Dallas, Texas tried opening before she was allowed to, was issued a citation for doing so, but kept the salon open. She was arrested and held in contempt. The judge gave her the option of apologizing for opening, and she declined, then was sent to jail.

As reported in Time the salon owner told the judge: “I couldn’t feed my family, and my stylists couldn’t feed their families,” Luther testified, saying she had applied for a federal loan but didn’t receive it until Sunday. The federal loan, if she is referring to the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) does cover payroll for 8 weeks if granted to the business based on the previous year’s payroll, but can only be issued to people on payroll. If stylists are contract workers or pay rent to the salon in lieu of payment from the salon owner, as is the case many times in small salons, the PPP money cannot be paid to them.

The Texas Attorney General stepped in by sending a letter to the judge, appealing for her release. He wrote: “I find it outrageous and out of touch that during this national pandemic, a judge, in a county that actually released hardened criminals for fear of contracting COVID-19, would jail a mother for operating her hair salon in an attempt to put food on her family’s table,” Paxton said.

Meanwhile, Back In Kingston…

Mayor Steven T. Noble announced the enactment of Phase 2 of Kingston’s Recovery Plan. “Phase 2 of the plan includes temporary layoffs of 10 part-time and 9 full-time staff through July 31, 2020 across eight City departments, including the Assessor’s Office, Building Safety, City Clerk’s Office, Civil Service, Comptroller’s Office, DPW, Parks & Recreation, and the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Per an agreement with CSEA, impacted employees will retain their medical and other benefits during the layoff period. Layoffs will predominantly affect positions whose duties have been curtailed or restricted as a result of COVID-19.

“We have worked hard over the years to place the City in a strong fiscal position, which has allowed us to weather the initial financial impact of this pandemic.” said Mayor Noble. “Now is the time to make hard decisions to overcome this unprecedented challenge and embark on our path to economic recovery. To date, we have been able to maintain all essential City services, but the full extent of the pandemic’s impact has not yet been realized. It is critical that over the next few months we continue to exercise strong fiscal oversight and advocate with our federal representatives for funding for Kingston and its sister cities across the country.”

Mayor Noble added that due to businesses respecting the shut down, sales tax revenue has declined significantly, and impacted what was budgeted for 2020. According to the press release: “The first two sales tax payments received this week are down 27% (March) and 38% (April) from 2019. Additional income sources such as investment interest, parking revenue, fees, permits and others will also be impacted. With available data, the City Comptroller, John Tuey, is now projecting that the City of Kingston will have revenue decreases between $4,00,000-$6,000,000.”

Ulster County does pass the metric test for reopening, but because it is lumped into the Mid-Hudson Region, it will not open, as reported at Daily Voice. “I am proud of the progress Ulster County has made toward meeting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s guidelines for Phase One opening, but the Mid-Hudson Region as a whole still has work to do before the State will permit anyone to reopen,” County Executive Pat Ryan said in the Daily Voice article.

As of today, according to Ulster County’s Dashboard, Kingston has 109 active cases, and 1 fatality. In total, Ulster County has 1,542 confirmed cases, 732 active cases, and 64 fatalities.

Editorial Note: Based on comments seen at Ulster County’s Facebook post, please know that any comment that wishes anything other than a healthy recovery to those infected or impacted will not be published here.

5/10/2020 Numbers: Beacon On This Day; Dutchess County Changes Reporting Data For Death Counts, Resulting In Increase

On May 7, 2020, Dutchess County announced that they are changing the way they report data for those who have died from COVID-19, as well as several other key data points that include total number of confirmed cases, and total number of tests completed, to be effective on May 8, 2020. They will be using New York State’s numbers. Results via Google’s search results consistently gave a higher count for Dutchess County.

Of the counties that A Little Beacon Blog tracks for these reports - Orange and Putnam - both matched Google results with the number of deceased. Dutchess County’s was always lower: say 36 in Dutchess County’s Tracker vs 70 in Google’s Tracker.

As explained by Dutchess County in their 5/7/2020 announcement of the change:

The New York State Department of Health has authority and oversight over many of the facilities reporting case data, including hospitals and nursing homes. These facilities are not required to report to local health departments, including the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH). While DBCH does communicate regularly with each of the individual facilities and has been getting some of the data from them, it is difficult to reconcile on a daily basis with the state data and creates confusion for the public. Additionally, State data can include presumed positive cases in fatality numbers, unlike the data reported by local health departments.

DBCH was recently provided access to the New York State Health Emergency Reporting Data System (HERDS), however, the data is reported in the aggregate and does not provide the necessary specificity for county reporting.

Active case data, which are the cases that DBCH are currently monitoring, will continue to be reported by DBCH as well as the breakdown by municipality and number of recoveries...Dutchess County’s COVID-19 Community Impact Data Dashboard will continue to be updated daily, following NYSDOH data updates.

Beacon’s number of Active COVID-19 cases was rising as of 5/10/2020. This last report on 5/10/2020 was at 146. The last time we recorded it in our spreadsheet was 5/4/2020 and the number of active cases was 137. Not a huge difference, but a consistent increase nonetheless.

One might argue: “Well, the number of people tested is going up, so that must be the reason.” And that may be. However, the daily percentage of those who test positive for COVID-19 for the day - of those tested - has remained consistent. We track that number also. The percentage of people who test positive from those tested per day has been at 8%-9% in the last few days. Additionally, the number of tests issued in Dutchess County, according to the tracker, has remained consistent, averaging in the 400s tests given per day.

While some “low-risk” business types can open state-wide in New York on Friday (drive-in movie theaters, landscaping/gardening, tennis) Dutchess County has 3 more criteria to hit before meeting the 7 state requirements to begin reopening, which are:

• 14-Day Decline in Hospital Deaths OR fewer than 5 deaths (3-day average).

• New Hospitalizations (under 2 per 100k residents - 3 day rolling average.

• At least 30 contact tracers per 100k residents.

County Executive Marcus Molinaro has announced, during his 5/11/2020 restarting video, that he will deliver live updates about the data in Dutchess County on Wednesdays and Fridays. This Wednesday, he will host a Town Hall at 5:30pm. Videos are at Facebook, or at at the Dutchess County channel at YouTube.

The last time we published reporting on these numbers was 5/1/2020. This gap of 11 days is for no other reason that Distance Learning started in our home, and while we get into that rhythm of that schooling, finishing articles got a little tricky. We have several unpublished drafts, though!

However, in that time, Dutchess County changed how they are reporting, and New York launched a new regional tracker for the re-opening. So, one must not delay!

Sources:
New York State Tracker: Updated daily.
Dutchess County Tracker: Updated daily, but there could be lags, according to their Source notes.
Orange County Tracker: Updated daily, with the exception of municipality information which is updated every 2-3 days, according to their Source notes.
Putnam County Tracker: Updated daily.
Google via Wikipedia
Testing is limited, which implies that people testing positive for COVID-19 is not total, as many people are not tested.

DUTCHESS COUNTY 5/10/2020

How Many People Tested In Dutchess County:
18,964 (last week 15,558 via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day:
3,359 (last week, 3,049, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested This Day:
471 (last week 473, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE This Day:
47 (last week 48, via New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day:
56 (last week 69, via Dutchess County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day:
101 (last week 38, via Dutchess County Tracker, but Google shows 84 (previous 73)

BEACON
Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon On This Day:
146 (last week 134, via Dutchess County Tracker)

FISHKILL
Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill On This Day:
174 (last week 175, via Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill On This Day:
153 (last week 151, via Dutchess County Tracker)

WAPPINGERS
Active COVID-19 Cases In Town of Wappingers On This Day:
136 (last week 163, via Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village On This Day:
40 (last week 45, via Dutchess County Tracker)

ORANGE COUNTY 5/10/2020

How Many People Tested In Orange County:
34,404 (last week 28,848, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE In Total:
9,543 (last week 8,910, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested On This Day:
535 (last week 839, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day:
57 (last week 159, via New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day:
99 (last week 147) (via Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day:
367 (last week 329, via Orange County Tracker)

NEWBURGH
Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh On This Day:
645 (last week 587, via Orange County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh On This Day:
1,314 (last week 1,165, via Orange County Tracker)

PUTNAM COUNTY 5/10/2020

Did not grab data in time for this report.

PHILIPSTOWN
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Total In Philipstown As Of This Day:

Did not grab data in time for this report.

Interview With Yankee Clipper Diner, Who Re-Opened As Takeout With Precautions

The Yankee Clipper Diner is a favorite restaurant with Beaconites both young and old. The restaurant was established in 1946, served customers back when Nobody’s Fool was filming in Beacon (starring Paul Newman, and is a scene in the movie) and is a regular eatery for locals like former Mayor Randy Casale. Since 2003, the diner has been owned and operated by two sisters and their husbands: Petros and Tonia; and Nikos and Katina. Tonia and Katina grew up in the diner business and their husbands — both from the Greek isle of Andros — run the Yankee Clipper kitchen.

Photo Credit: Yankee Clipper Diner

When New York’s PAUSE went into effect on March 22, 2020, the Yankee Clipper tried to stay open with takeout, but on March 28, 2020, they temporarily closed the diner. They announced via Instagram: “The health and safety of our family, employees and customers is always our top priority. We are sorry for any inconvenience. We greatly appreciate all the support from our customers and the community during this hard time.” Days later they launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for the staff, which has raised $3,280 to date.

On Wednesday, April 29, 2020, the Yankee Clipper opened back up, with a “Distance Makes Us Stronger” theme. They announced ordering protocols via Instagram, giving customers the ability to pay over the phone or in person, but stating that only a limited number of people were allowed in the restaurant at once, and that if you really needed to pay in person, you could do so, but needed to wait outside. Curbside service is available, where the staff brings it to your car, or you can pick it up from a table in the vestibule. Delivery to your front door is also an option.

So far in Beacon, the businesses that put forth their safety protocols before opening are seeing success with the public - with distancing incorporated. How did their opening weekend go? Keep in mind, if you’re reading this from out of town, and want to drive to Beacon to eat at restaurants in Beacon, they are doing takeout only, so you’ll need to eat the food in your car or a secluded park spot. Most who walk on Main Street are wearing masks. While not as congested as NYC, walking past people or turning the corner quickly into a group of people is common. So bring your mask!

A Little Beacon Blog checked in with the Yankee Clipper to find out how the first weekend went. Keep in mind, they are open every day:

ALBB: How have people been with social distancing?
YC: Our customers have been very good with it. Poeple have been respecting boundaries and the set-up we have in place as precautions.

ALBB: Have customers been wearing masks when picking up food?
YC: Yes, 99.9% of customers are wearing masks when picking up food.

ALBB: Are regulars so excited to order from you again? Your Instagram photos are incredible!
YC: Our regulars have been so supportive and very excited that we are open again. The support from them in our first few days open was overwhelming and we feel very blessed and fortunate to have such loyal customers.

ALBB: Has it helped your business at all to do takeout? Or is it too early to tell?
YC: Under the circumstances, takeout is working out. We have still taken quite a hit in comparison to our normal business. But we are very grateful for the takeout business we do have.

ALBB: Do you do catering or large orders?
YC: Yes, we do offer catering. On Mother’s Day, we offered family meals. We can accommodate any size order.

ALBB: In the future do you want customers in the restaurant? Or are you comfortable with monitoring things and doing takeout?
YC: Of course we would love to open up our dining room again to all of our customers. We miss the interaction with them and miss providing the service and experience of dining out. Of course when we do reopen, we will do what the state asks of us and we will take additional safety precautions to keep ourselves, our staff, and customers safe.

Find out the takeout and delivery status of other restaurants in Beacon by clicking on A Little Beacon Blog’s Restaurant Guide.

Happy Mother's Day - The Year It Snowed On The Mountain

Snow on Mount Beacon. Other areas near Garrison saw snow in the several centimeters.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Every year the weather does something dramatically different here in Beacon. Like the time a huge snow dump fell in March 2017, or the years that the just-blossomed magnolia tree petals were snowed on more than one year in a row. Or the time one of the worst blizzards with power-outages happened in October 2011. Memory doesn’t serve when recalling these swings in the weather, and the usual reaction is to freak out.

In this year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the stubbornly cold mornings and rainy afternoons have added to the trying times as we all stay home, and pine to go outside for something different. Yet, during the time of coronavirus, when the weather is nice, a new natural fear creeps in that everyone will forget about the invisible beast and go out to walk Main Street and gather together in parking lots and back yards. It is so hard to remember the threat we cannot see.

Thank goodness for daily briefings from Governor Cuomo in New York and Dr. Amy Acton, MD, MPH Director of Health for the Ohio Department of Health (see the New York Times deep-dive grammar-based analysis of why Dr. Amy’s message of staying home is so effective to those who believe her, yet House Republicans in Ohio refuse to even own a mask as they tried to strip her of recommendation power - she is strongly supported by Republican Governor Mike DeWine). Ohio had a swift shut-down policy. As of today, Ohio has 21,131 confirmed cases and 1,271 deaths, while neighbor Michigan, who also has a governor who maintains a stay-at-home order but contends with groups of dissenters, has 46,756 confirmed cases and 4,526 deaths.

At this point, the only way this blogger has come to be able to live in peace with this cold weather is to view it as a polar vortex that is saving lives by keeping us indoors - even if at all. For the record, last year was a chilly May. I know this because my daughter’s birthday is in late May, and for the past 5 birthdays, it had been brutally hot - almost 90 degrees - balloon popping hot. Last year, not so much. And it rained. Roses are expected to bloom in late May, so on this sunny Mother’s Day Weekend, we’ll see if they come out on schedule this year, or if they have been developing a new normal.

(5/1/2020) COVID-19 Numbers for Beacon (on the rise), Fishkill, Wappingers, Newburgh, Philipstown

Today was a beautiful day, and tomorrow may be as well. It’s hard to remember about the virus when the weather is so nice. Mask and face coverings by people on Main Street in Beacon has been mixed but good. Social distancing practices encouraged by most eateries and essential businesses has also been good. It should also be noted that we are past the 2 week mark since the Easter and Passover holidays, which is when people may have broken “sphere lock” and joined with family members not normally quarantining together in their homes for a family gathering. Family and friend gatherings, or gatherings in groups like on a bar patio, have been known to be a time period of virus spread.

Active cases in Beacon are on the rise, with today’s Active Case count being 134. When A Little Beacon Blog first started tracking this in our Excel spreadsheet back on 4/25/2020, the Active Case count was 110 just a week ago. The Active Case count is a fluctuating number that can go up or down, and is presumed that the Active Cases are people who continue to test positive and are fighting the virus.

[UPDATE: Edit made to this article based on population of Town of Wappingers].

The number of people testing positive per day has remained in the high 40s for each of Beacon, Fishkill and Wappingers. As for Orange County, who is testing more people than Dutchess County, they continue to see an increase in the number of people testing positive (101 people yesterday, 159 people today), while the Active Case Count remains at 587 in Orange County.

Sources:
New York State Tracker: Updated daily.
Dutchess County Tracker: Updated daily, but there could be lags, according to their Source notes.
Orange County Tracker: Updated daily, with the exception of municipality information which is updated every 2-3 days, according to their Source notes.
Putnam County Tracker: Updated daily.
Google via Wikipedia
Testing is limited, which implies that people testing positive for COVID-19 is not total, as many people are not tested.

DUTCHESS COUNTY 5/01/2020

How Many People Tested In Dutchess County:
15,558 (yesterday 15,085 via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day:
3,049 (yesterday, 3,002, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested This Day:
473 (previous day 443, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE This Day:
47 (previous day 48, via New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day:
69 (yesterday 69, via Dutchess County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day:
38 (yesterday 37, via Dutchess County Tracker, but Google shows 73 (previous 70))

BEACON
Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon On This Day:
134 (yesterday 129, via Dutchess County Tracker)

FISHKILL
Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill On This Day:
175 (yesterday 171, via Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill On This Day:
151 (yesterday 146, via Dutchess County Tracker)

WAPPINGERS
Active COVID-19 Cases In Town of Wappingers On This Day:
163 (yesterday 162, via Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village On This Day:
45 (yesterday 44, via Dutchess County Tracker)

ORANGE COUNTY 5/01/2020

How Many People Tested In Orange County:
28,848 (yesterday 28,009, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE In Total:
8,910 (yesterday 8,751, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested On This Day:
839 (previously 787, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day:
159 (previously 101, via New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day:
147 (yesterday 147) (via Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day:
329 (yesterday 329, via Orange County Tracker)

NEWBURGH
Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh On This Day:
587 (587, via Orange County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh On This Day:
1,165 (1,165, via Orange County Tracker)

PUTNAM COUNTY 5/01/2020

How Many People Tested In Putnam County:
4,429 (yesterday 4,170, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day:
1,003 (yesterday 990, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested On This Day:
115 (previously 144, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day:
13 (previously 20, via New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day:
20 (via Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day:
45 (yesterday 45, via Putnam County Tracker)

PHILIPSTOWN
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Total In Philipstown As Of This Day:
102 (yesterday 98, via Putnam County Tracker)
Putnam doesn’t seem to publish an “Active Cases” per city/town/village number like Dutchess and Orange do. “Active Cases” can fluctuate up or down. “Confirmed Cases” only go up, as they are cumulative.

(4/30/2020) COVID-19 Numbers for Beacon, Newburgh, Fishkill, Wappingers, Philipstown

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Beacon and Wappingers went up by a handful. Newburgh’s active cases continues to rise.

Sources:
Dutchess County Tracker:
Updated daily, but there could be lags, according to their Source notes.
Orange County Tracker:
Updated daily, with the exception of municipality information which is updated every 2-3 days, according to their Source notes.
Putnam County Tracker:
Updated daily.
Google via Wikipedia
Testing is limited, which implies that people testing positive for COVID-19 is not total, as they are not tested.

DUTCHESS COUNTY 4/30/2020

How Many People Tested In Dutchess County:
15,085 (yesterday 14,215, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day:
3,002 (yesterday, 2,881, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested This Day:
443 (previous day 556, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE This Day:
48 (previous day 64, via New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day:
69 (yesterday 64, via Dutchess County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day:
37 (via Dutchess County Tracker, but Google shows 70)

BEACON
Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon On This Day:
129 (yesterday 114, via Dutchess County Tracker)

FISHKILL
Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill On This Day:
171 (yesterday 170, via Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill On This Day:
146 (yesterday 152, via Dutchess County Tracker)

WAPPINGERS
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers On This Day:
162 (yesterday 152, via Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village On This Day:
44 (yesterday 42, via Dutchess County Tracker)

ORANGE COUNTY 4/28/2020

How Many People Tested In Orange County:
28,009 (yesterday 26,342, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE In Total:
8,751 (yesterday 8,488, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested On This Day:
787 (previously 606, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day:
101 (previously 114, via New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day:
147 (yesterday 153) (via Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day:
329 (yesterday 311, via Orange County Tracker)

NEWBURGH
Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh On This Day:
587 (534, via Orange County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh On This Day:
1,165 (1,044, via Orange County Tracker)

PUTNAM COUNTY 4/28/2020

How Many People Tested In Putnam County:
4,170 (yesterday 4,170, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day:
990 (yesterday 970, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested On This Day:
144 (previously 251, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day:
20 (previously 24, via New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day:
NA (via Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day:
45 (yesterday 43, via Putnam County Tracker)

PHILIPSTOWN
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Philipstown As Of This Day:
Putnam doesn’t seem to publish an “Active Cases” number like Dutchess and Orange do.
98 (via Putnam County Tracker)

Local Fundraisers Going On Now - Help In The Time Of The COVID-19 Pandemic

At the request of one of our reader supporters, A Little Beacon Blog complied this easy list of fundraisers to contribute to whenever you want to. Some of these are date driven. Those will be posted to the top. This is a live guide, so refresh the page, and give when you can!

GOING ON NOW - LIMITED TIME

• We don’t know of any super fast, limited time fundraisers going on at the moment, but if we missed yours, let us know about it here!

FIRST RESPONDERS

First Responders Fund

The fund will assist COVID-19 healthcare workers and first responders with expenses and costs, including child care. Donations can be made electronically at www.healthresearch.org/donation-form/ or by check, mailed to "Health Research, Inc., 150 Broadway, Suite 560, Menands, NY 12204." (For checks, the donor should specify the donation is for "COVID-19 NYS Emergency Response.")

Rombout Middle School PTO - Food For Local Front Line Workers

The Beacon High School Softball Program and the Rombout Middle School PTO organizations are organizing this. They are raising money to provide food to local medical workers. As a community, we want to thank them and make them smile! Additionally, 100% of the money raised goes directly to local families while supporting Beacon restaurants.
Donate Here >

LIFE IN GENERAL

Beacon Mutual Aid

A group started by Beaconites, for Beaconites, to help with any need anyone has. If people are in quarantine and cannot get food or to the pharmacy, this group can help. People can email, text or call with their requests, and the problem or request gets figured out. Beacon Mutual Aid is also involved with getting people in need free groceries. Donations go towards these causes.
There is no ask that is too big, and no one will ever be shamed for asking for what they need.
Ways To Donate: Email beaconmutualaid@gmail.com, call 845-288-2559 or venmo: mutualaidbeacon
Learn More (English) > or Learn More (Spanish) >

FOOD SECURITY

Beacon Farmer’s Market via Common Ground Farms

Beacon’s Farmer’s Market is managed by Common Ground Farms, and reaches a lot of people who want fresh food, and who live in economic hardship. They have accepted forms of payment from economic benefits programs including SNAP, and WIC and FMNP checks. During this time of COVID-19, two main setbacks have happened: 1. the open-air market closed and moved to an online ordering system, with delivery and pickup, and 2. the market is unable to take SNAP payments but is using a workaround to make that happen which you can read about here if you need to use SNAP. Donations made to the Beacon Farmer’s Market will help them continue making these leaps in technological advancements (they have already built 2 websites to take online orders), deliver to people in need, and give SNAP users money to use. You can also buy a load of produce for a family in need with allocation of your donation.
Donate Here >

Tiny Food Pantries in Beacon via Fareground

A Tiny Food Pantry is a 24/7 open air food pantry with a “give what you can, take what you need model.” Donate food to it by placing the food directly onto the shelves. Donate money to Fareground, who has these locations in their rotation of food security caretaking.
Locations: Binnacle Books 321 Main Street; Beacon Recreation Center 23 West Center Street
Donate Here >

Fareground

Fareground, Inc., a charitable 501(c)(3), is a women-run food justice, anti-hunger organization, dedicated to nourishing the community by increasing access to healthy and affordable food by supporting and creating opportunities for delicious meals, education, and volunteer opportunities. They currently are part of the coordination and financial effort in making Free To Go Dinner Bags available for pickup on Mondays mornings at Beacon High School and South Avenue. These are bags of groceries designed to feed a family of 4. Fareground also delivers these To Go Dinner Bags to people who live in housing communities in Beacon. This is key, because families in housing communities sometimes cannot get out to food distribution sites if both parents are at work, or a single parent is raising the family, for examples.
Donate Here >

Hudson Valley Eats

Hudson Valley Eats was started by restaurateur Janet Irizarry, who is committed to making sure everybody eats. She is an expert in food waste and tries to connect people with food. She lists many donation ideas as they come.

PETS

Safe Haven Thrift Shop & Pet Food Pantry

A nonprofit organization that has been running a pet food pantry for 8.5 years helping Dutchess County residents feed their pets. They are also involved with the Beacon Barks Parade. Normally, the residents they assist have to meet an income requirement. However, many people right now are out of work due to the virus, and they want to temporarily help them. Pet food is available for pickup on Saturdays.
Location: New address is: 1545 Route 52, Suite 8, Fishkill
Day: Saturdays only from 10AM – 1PM
How To Donate:
1. Drop off bags of cat or dog food during the pick-up hours listed above.
2. Write a check to Safe Haven Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 596, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533

SCHOOLS

Beacon High School Seniors

You can show your support for Beacon’s senior class with a yard sign. The proceeds go directly to the Senior class. Buy a sign for $20 and show it in your yard.
Donate Now >

FARMING

Common Ground Farms

LOCAL BUSINESS

A Little Beacon Blog keeps track of fundraisers launched by businesses in our Restaurant Guide, Shopping Guide, and Business Directory. Please browse there, and the link for the fundraiser will be listed with the corresponding business.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Dutchess Responds
Mutual Aid Plan For Dutchess

Nursing Homes In Dutchess County Get COVID-19 Testing Focus - Pilot Program Launching In Beacon's Wingate As Testing Reveals Concern In Ulster

During a time when the press corps covering the daily pandemic briefings from Governor Cuomo pursues the governor with unrelenting questions on the COVID-19 status of nursing home residents and PPE supplies, the death toll of elderly residents mounts in New York City and surrounding counties. Dutchess County announced this week (4/28/2020) a new testing program to test residents living in the 13 nursing homes within Dutchess County.

Citing an uptick in reported COVID-19 cases as a result of recent testing in Ulster County, Dutchess County will begin testing every nursing home resident, beginning with Wingate in Beacon. According to the county’s press release, testing in Ulster County “has heightened concerns about potential spread of coronavirus, as 96 out of 330 residents at two Ulster County nursing homes tested positive for COVID-19 – with many of these cases exhibiting no symptoms (asymptomatic) and the individuals had only been in contact with healthy residents and staff members.”

The number of reported deaths in nursing homes in Dutchess County is 13 people as of yesterday (4/29/2020), as reported by New York State on this daily nursing home tracker. The number of deaths of people in nursing homes or adult care facilities in Orange County is 92 people, and in Putnam County it is 12 people. In Nassau County, it is 424 people, and in Kings County it is 447 people, and in Bronx County it is 570.

Dutchess County will begin releasing testing data from the nursing homes, said Communications Director Colleen Pillus. According to state data, there have been six deaths at the Ferncliff Nursing Home. Any home that has fewer than five deaths is not published at this time by New York State, citing privacy concerns.

The State Of Nursing Homes During The Pandemic

Publications like ProPublica have been covering the story for some time, and recently published this story of a daughter who removed her father from Queens Adult Care Center after he showed symptoms and was being neglected by fearful staff members, according to the article. Reporters at Governor Cuomo’s briefings have been asking for weeks for COVID-19 statistics at nursing homes, which New York State only recently starting releasing. Each day that the statistics had not been made public, Governor Cuomo cited delays from the nursing homes who were overwhelmed with caring for their residents. The total number of deceased people from nursing homes in New York State is 3,688, as of 4/29/2020.

To illustrate how quickly COVID-19 can spread through a nursing home, which Governor Cuomo has likened to a fire spreading through dry grass, Deadline.com has been publishing updates about elderly residents living in The Actor’s Fund Home in Englewood, N.J., a home for retired entertainers, from actors of stage and screen to screenwriters, dancers, producers and directors. The home has been forthcoming to its families with email updates, and to the media. The facilities administrator told NJ Advance Media that as of 4/14/2020, the facility had 12 residents test positive. As of 4/21/2020, 10 residents had died from COVID-19, as reported by Deadline.com, although the first reported death from COVID-19 was recorded on 4/10/2020, according to Deadline.com. About 35 to 40 staff had tested positive, though there have been no reported deaths of employees.

Dutchess County Testing and PPE

County Executive Marcus Molinaro has petitioned Governor Cuomo for 2,000 test kits for Dutchess County’s newly formed Nursing Homes Task Force, according to the county’s press release. “As the initial pilot gets underway,” the press release said, “and as tests are made available from New York State, Dutchess County’s Nursing Home Task Force will collaborate with each of the nursing home facilities’ infection control specialist to plan for each facilities’ specific needs, including providing adequate PPE supplies for staff to ensure there is no cross contamination during testing.”

Testing staff members at the nursing homes will not be included in this targeted testing, “as testing kits are limited,” confirmed Communications Director Colleen Pillus to A Little Beacon Blog when asked for clarification. Reports from outbreaks happening in nursing homes across the state, like this one in Hornell, include a focus on staff members who test positive, as reported by the New York Post.

Currently in Dutchess County, nursing home residents are only being tested when they present symptoms, said Dutchess County’s Communication Director Colleen. Moving forward in this new pilot program, elderly residents will be tested once as opposed to an ongoing way, as testing results take time to come back, said Colleen. Of the 13 nursing homes, one nursing home - Wingate in Beacon - will be the pilot location for this new program.

Who Oversees Nursing Homes?

As explained by Governor Cuomo repeatedly during briefings, nursing homes are generally private institutions that need to follow licensing requirements from New York State. According to The Leader, New York State will open an investigation into nursing homes, led by Attorney General Letitia James, “which will focus on whether nursing homes and adult-care facilities appropriately followed state law and regulation as the coronavirus went on its torrid spread in New York,” stated the article.

According to Dutchess County’s press release on its new testing program program: “Although nursing homes are under the authority and oversight of the New York State Department of Health, County Executive Molinaro established Dutchess County’s Nursing Home Task Force, under the direction of Dutchess Behavioral and Community Health (DBCH), to be in regular contact with nursing home leadership. The Task Force keeps open lines of communications, offers guidance where appropriate, and helps facilities address concerns and emerging issues, convening weekly conference calls with nursing homes.”

The announcement went on to address PPE needs: “Among the pressing needs has been the provision of PPE supplies to meet heightened New York State Department of Health mandates for nursing homes. Dutchess County has worked closely with the nursing homes, providing isolation suits and gowns, eye protection, N95 respirators, surgical masks, as well as hand sanitizer.”

Mental Health Assistance Provided For Nursing Home Staff, By Dutchess County

County Executive Molinaro has a strong track record on mental health for this region. Mental health assistance has been created for employees working in nursing homes. According to the press release: “Staffing has also been a concern for nursing homes. Stress levels and fear for all essential employees remain high and there is always a concern about lack of staff availability should there be large numbers of staff who need to be quarantined. News of deaths in nursing homes in other areas of the state and nation creates anxiety for staff, patients, as well as their families.

”To help combat the extreme amount of stress this pandemic has placed upon nursing home and residential facility staff, County Executive Molinaro and Deputy Commissioner of DBCH Dr. Jacqueline M. Johnson have mobilized the Dutchess County Trauma Team to provide mental health support. This collaborative team of mental health and substance abuse professionals respond to unpredictable and extreme events in Dutchess County. Led by Dr. Ellen Marx, the team will provide an in-service to nursing home staff to discuss the range of emotions the pandemic causes in general, work-related frustration and anxiety, dealing with grief, the importance of self-care, and much more. Individuals are helped to review their situation, encouraged to express the wide range of emotions traumatic events bring up, and identify strengths and ways to cope.”

Nursing Homes in Dutchess County 

This list has been provided by Dutchess County:

ArchCare at Ferncliff (formerly Ferncliff Nursing Home)
21 Ferncliff Road, Rhinebeck, NY 12572  (845) 876-2011    

The Baptist Home
46 Brookmeade Drive, Rhinebeck, NY 12572 (845) 876-2071    

Sapphire Wappingers Falls
37 S. Mesier Ave., Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 (800) 501-3936    

The Eleanor Nursing Care Center
419 North Quaker Lane, Hyde Park, NY 12538 (845) 229-9177    

Fishkill Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing
22 Robert R. Kasin Way, Beacon, NY 12508-1199 (800) 501-3936 

The Grand Nursing and Rehabilitation at Pawling
9 Reservoir Road, Pawling, NY 12564  (845) 855-5700  

The Grand Nursing and Rehabilitation at River Valley
140 Main St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 (845) 454-7600    

Lutheran Care Center at Concord Village
965 Dutchess Turnpike, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 (845) 486-9494 x215    

Northern Dutchess Residential Healthcare Facility - The Thompson House
6525 Springbrook Ave., Rhinebeck, NY 12572  (845) 871-3760     

Renaissance Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
4975 Albany Post Road, Staatsburg, NY 12580 (845) 889-4500      

The Pines at Poughkeepsie
100 Franklin St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601  (845) 454-4100

Wingate at Beacon
10 Hastings Drive, Beacon, NY 12508  (845) 440-1600    

Wingate at Dutchess
3 Summit Court, Fishkill, NY 12524  (845) 896-1500

(4/28/2020) Numbers for Beacon, Fishkill, Wappingers, Newburgh, Philipstown

The number of people newly infected with COVID-19 continues to rise across counties reported on here. We have added Putnam County and Philipstown to this report. If a number has not been updated in a county, we check stats at Google, who is reporting county information, including number of deaths.

Sources: New York State COVID-19 Tracker, Dutchess County COVID-19 Tracker, Orange County COVID-19 Tracker, Putnam County Tracker, Google via Wikipedia
Dutchess County Tracker: Updated daily, but there could be lags, according to their Source notes.
Orange County Tracker: Updated daily, with the exception of municipality information which is updated every two to three days, according to their Source notes.
Putnam County Tracker: Updates regularly and posts PDF of additional breakdowns.
New York State Tracker: Updated daily.
Testing is limited, which implies that people testing positive for COVID-19 are not the total number of cases, as most people are not tested.

DUTCHESS COUNTY 4/28/2020

How Many People Tested In Dutchess County: 14,215 (yesterday 13,649, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Positive So Far: 2,881 (yesterday, 2,817, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today:
556 (previous day 223, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today:
64 (previous day 24, New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now:
71 (yesterday 77) (Dutchess County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far:
36 (no change reported in Dutchess County Tracker, but Google shows 68)

BEACON
Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon As Of Today:
114 (yesterday 114, Dutchess County Tracker, no change reported)

FISHKILL
Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill As Of Today:
170 (yesterday 174, Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill As Of Today:
152 (yesterday 155, Dutchess County Tracker)

WAPPINGERS
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers As Of Today:
152 (yesterday 155, Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village As Of Today:
42 (yesterday 43, Dutchess County Tracker)

ORANGE COUNTY 4/28/2020

How Many People Tested In Orange County: 26,342 (yesterday 25,740, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Positive So Far: 8,488 (yesterday 8,374, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today:
606 (previously 645, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today:
114 (previously 136, New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now:
153 (yesterday 168, Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far:
311 (yesterday 310, Orange County Tracker)

NEWBURGH
Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh As Of Today:
534 (no change reported, Orange County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh As Of Today:
1,044 (no change reported, Orange County Tracker)

PUTNAM COUNTY 4/28/2020

How Many People Tested In Putnam County: 3,919 (yesterday 3,763, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Positive So Far: 946 (yesterday 932, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today:
150 (previously 82, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today:
14 (previously 7, New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now:
13 (yesterday 16, Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far:
43 (Putnam County Tracker)

PHILIPSTOWN
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Philipstown As Of This Day:
97 (Putnam County)

Are COVID-19 Home Deaths Recorded In Dutchess County Tracker? Yes - Plus The Increase In Deaths Across The U.S. Since March

With new questions and answers evolving around COVID-19 coming out of the medical community almost daily, questions arise about the cause of death of people who died at home, and if they were COVID-19-related. If COVID-19 related, were they tested and included in the Dutchess County death counts?

According to Dutchess County’s Communication Director Colleen Pillus, the answer is yes. “Any positive results received by the medical examiner are included in the Dutchess County Data Dashboard,” she told A Little Beacon Blog by email.

According to Medical Examiner Dr. Dennis Chute, those who die at home and test positive for COVID-19 are being counted. Dr. Chute explained the process to A Little Beacon Blog by way of Colleen: “If an individual dies at home, the death is called into our office and a medicolegal death investigator takes the call, usually from the police dispatcher. If the decedent was on hospice, then our office releases the case, does not respond to the scene, and the death certificate is done by hospice.”

“If the individual is not on hospice care,” he continued, “then the medical examiner responds to the death scene, and either the medical examiner or the private medical doctor must sign the death certificate. In these cases, the medical examiner will decide whether to bring the decedent to the medical examiner's office depending on the circumstances and medical history. In non-hospice cases, if the history is consistent or suspicious for COVID-19, but if there has not been a premortem test done, we will take a specimen for COVID-19 testing.”

Since the week of March 12, 2020, there has been approximately 20 cases tested at the medical examiner’s office. [UPDATE 4/30/2020]: Of the 20 people who died at their homes since March 12, 2020, seven of them tested positive for COVID-19, said Colleen, who received the number from the medical examiner’s office.

We are also awaiting an answer about whether the number of deaths at home is higher than the period compared to the previous year. [UPDATE 4/30/2020]: Colleen has responded that she does not at this time have the comparative data on those who died at home during the same period the previous year. “That would take some significant time to pull, and I am not sure when someone at the ME’s (medical examiner’s) office will have the opportunity to do so.”

Heart Attacks and COVID-19

Recently heart attacks and strokes are being studied as doctors are understanding more about how the disease attacks the body. An article at Kaiser Health News has pulled together two sources, Politico and ABC News, following the question of heart attacks as it pertains to New York and patients here.

Politico published on 4/25/2020 that the first recorded death of COVID-19 was of a woman from San Francisco, CA, who died of a massive heart attack, according to the autopsy conducted by the county medical examiner on February 7, 2020, but not signed until April 23, 2020. According to the article, she “had no coronary heart disease or clotting that would have caused a heart attack.” She was “mildly obese and had a mildly enlarged heart.” She had evidence of the coronavirus infection in her heart, trachea, lungs and intestines, and originally complained of flu-like symptoms in the days before her death.

The Kaiser article also reported on an ABC news report looking at how New York City became the epicenter of the coronavirus on March 20, “but city records analyzed by ABC News suggest a crisis swelling far earlier, signaled by a sudden uptick in cardiac arrest cases that experts now say were likely linked to the virus. Emergency calls for cardiac arrest began to climb in mid-February, in close-knit neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens, some of the same local areas that would soon form the "epicenter of the epicenter" of America's coronavirus pandemic. (Pezenik, Katersky, David and Dastmalchi, 4/27)”

Uptick In Home Deaths In U.S. Since March 2020

The Yale School of Public Health conducted an analysis of federal data for the Washington Post, which revealed a spike in deaths during March through April 4, 2020. The Washington Post published those results on 4/27/2020 and included a variety of graphs showing the data for different states, including New York, New Jersey and Michigan.

According to the article: “The analysis also suggests that the death toll from the pandemic is significantly higher than has been reported,” said Daniel Weinberger, a Yale professor of epidemiology and the leader of the research team. “It’s really important to get the right numbers to inform policymakers so they can understand how the epidemic is evolving and how severe it is in different places,” Weinberger said.

The article goes on to suggest that the “national tally also shapes the public’s perception of how serious the disease is, and therefore how necessary it is to continue social distancing despite economic disruption.”

However, it was also noted by the Washington Post: “The excess deaths are not necessarily attributable directly to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. They could include people who died because of the epidemic but not from the disease, such as those who were afraid to seek medical treatment for unrelated illnesses, as well as some number of deaths that are part of the ordinary variation in the death rate.”

As more data comes out, clearer answers to questions like these will come.

(4/27/2020) COVID-19 Numbers for Beacon, Newburgh, Fishkill, Wappingers

Numbers for Dutchess County have decreased since yesterday’s report. The number of tests decreased, and the number of people from the testing group testing positive decreased. So far, the number of deaths remains at 36, and the number of hospitalized decreased to 77 (previously 79).

In Orange County, the number of deaths increased from 299 to 310, and the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Orange County decreased by almost the same amount. The number of tests in Orange County increased yesterday.

Sources: New York State COVID-19 Tracker, Dutchess County COVID-19 Tracker, Orange County COVID-19 Tracker
Dutchess County Tracker: Updated daily, but there could be lags, according to their Source notes.
Orange County Tracker: Updated daily, with the exception of municipality information which is updated every 2 to 3 days, according to their Source notes.
New York State Tracker: Updated daily.
Testing is limited.

DUTCHESS COUNTY 4/27/2020

How Many People Tested In Dutchess County:
13,649 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Positive So Far:
2,817 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today:
223 (previous day 389) (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today:
24 (previous day 64) (New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now:
77 (yesterday 79) (Dutchess County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far:
36 (no change reported) (Dutchess County Tracker)

BEACON
Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon As Of Today:
114 (yesterday 117) (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Beacon?
4.04%

FISHKILL
Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill As Of Today:
174 (yesterday 181) (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Fishkill?
6.18%
Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill As Of Today:
155 (yesterday 163) (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In East Fishkill?
5.5%

WAPPINGERS
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers As Of Today:
155 (yesterday 157) (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Wappingers?
5.5%
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village As Of Today:
43 (yesterday 46) (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Wappingers Falls Village?
1.53%

ORANGE COUNTY 4/27/2020

How Many People Tested In Orange County:
25,740 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Positive So Far:
8,374 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today:
645 (previously 587) (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today:
136 (previously 132) (New York State Tracker
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now:
168 (yesterday 183) (Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far:
310 (yesterday 299) (Orange County Tracker)

NEWBURGH
Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh As Of Today:
534 (no change reported) (Orange County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Orange County, How Many In Newburgh?
6.48%
Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh As Of Today:
1,044 (no change reported) (Orange County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Orange County, How Many In City of Newburgh?
12.67%

(4/26/2019) COVID-19 Numbers For Dutchess County (64 new positives today), Beacon (117 infected right now), Fishkill, Newburgh, Wappingers Falls

As Governor Cuomo talks about a gradual reopening of New York, he imagines a regional approach between counties in New York State, as well as with other states neighboring New York, including New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, since many people commute from state to state, and county to county to work and live. During several briefings, and succinctly by tweet, the governor has stated: “We are taking a regional approach to safely reopening NYS. Each region is facing its own set of facts. Protecting public health comes first and all decisions will be data-driven.”

New York State has its COVID-19 tracker that includes county data. Several counties have made their own daily trackers public, including Dutchess and Orange Counties, that do show some statistics for communities within the counties.

As the CDC’s guidelines have recommended a 14-day decline, with the White House’s recommendation here, realizing the numbers in this region is relevant. A Little Beacon Blog will present select numbers from the state and county trackers as a way to help you have a snapshot view of what is happening, and what happened yesterday and last week. Having context to these numbers going up and down is important.

Keep in mind, testing is limited. There is the base number of how many people are tested, but there is a limited number of tests, which limits the types of people who can get tested. Almost daily, the public and health officials are learning about the coronavirus that may impact how data is collected. Decisions won’t be based on simple numbers either. Communities will be aware of what is happening within their borders.

All numbers have been taken from the Dutchess County Tracker, and the New York State Tracker. Each have their own stipulations as to how they collect data. As of now, the number of deaths per municipality (i.e.town/city/village) is not included in Dutchess nor Orange County trackers. A Little Beacon Blog has confirmed on 4/27/2020 with Dutchess County by way of Colleen T. Pillus, the Communication Director for Dutchess County, that they do have the number of deceased for each municipality, but will not be releasing it at this time.

Sources: New York State COVID-19 Tracker, Dutchess County COVID-19 Tracker, Orange County COVID-19 Tracker

DUTCHESS COUNTY 4/26/2020

How Many People Tested Positive So Far: 2,793 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today: 389 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today: 64 (New York State Tracker)
Percentage of Today’s People Testing Positive: 16.45%

How Many People Tested In Dutchess County: 13,464 (New York State Tracker)
Percentage Of People Testing Positive - Of Those Tested - In Dutchess County: 20.74%

How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far: 36 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now: 79 (Dutchess County Tracker)

BEACON
Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon As Of Today: 117 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Beacon? 4.19%

FISHKILL
Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill As Of Today: 181 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Fishkill? 6.48%
Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill As Of Today: 163 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In East Fishkill? 5.84%

WAPPINGERS
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers As Of Today: 157 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Wappingers? 5.62%
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village As Of Today: 46 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Wappingers Falls Village? 1.65%

ORANGE COUNTY 4/26/2020

How Many People Tested Positive So Far: 8,238 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today: 587 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today: 132 (New York State Tracker)
Percentage of Today’s People Testing Positive: 22.49%

How Many People Tested In Orange County: 25,095 (New York State Tracker)
Percentage Of People Testing Positive - Of Those Tested - In Orange County: 32.83%

How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far: 277 (Orange County Tracker)
Note: This number has already changed to 299 by 10 pm tonight 4/27/2020 as we were double-checking numbers before sharing. ALBB will update this once per day in the afternoon, knowing that numbers are updated at these trackers at different times of the day.
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now: 183 (Orange County Tracker)

NEWBURGH
Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh As Of Today: 543 (Orange County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Orange County, How Many In Newburgh? 6.48%
Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh As Of Today: 1,044 (Orange County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Orange County, How Many In City of Newburgh? 12.67%

A screenshot of the White House-supported guidelines of reopening America, as of 4/27/2020. Things change daily, and this text on the White House website could also change.
Photo Credit: The White House website

County-Wide Siren Salute For COVID-19 Fight - Thursday at 7 pm - Listen For It

On Thursday (4/23/2020) evening at 7 pm, Dutchess County will come together to sound a siren salute using firehouse sirens in unison, according to an announcement from Beacon’s Mayor’s Office. Beacon’s siren will sound from the Lewis Tompkins Hose Co., and will sound for those “working tirelessly in Emergency Services, Health Care, Local Government and all the supporting agencies in our communities,” according to the announcement.

The length of the siren activation will be two cycles. Sirens can be heard occasionally at other times, and sometimes come from across the river, from other municipalities or services.

”This will also be a needed test to determine if the roof siren on Tompkins Hose still works,” noted Beacon’s City Administrator, Anthony Ruggiero.