 All levels of leadership in New York State, from Governor Andrew Cuomo down to your Town Board, remain stalwart on the frontline to identify and implement the necessary protections to best safeguard your health and economic stability. With that in mind, it is appropriate to lead our most recent COVID-19 e-Newsletter with insightful and levelheaded words from our Governor:
“I believe these policies will save lives and I am not willing to put a price on a human life.” “Ventilators are to this war what missiles were to World War II.” As the Governor adds Delaware to our regional response, his statements should provide clarity in the event there was ever a doubt. Despite the federal government’s failings, you should have no misgivings. New Yorkers – all of us – are priority number one. We will continue to battle the many tentacles of COVID-19 that have grabbed ahold of our lives. New Regulations & Guidelines: Friday, March 20thCommencing this Sunday, March 22, at 8 p.m., the Governor is mandating by Executive Order that 100% of those private and public sector employees who provide non-essential services must work from home. As a reminder, effective March 21 at 8 p.m., the Governor will close all barbershops, hair salons, tattoo or piercing parlors and related personal care services. A list of essential businesses is available at: https://esd.ny.gov/guidance-executive-order-2026
For additional information, submit your COVID-19 related business questions here or call 845.567.4882:
https://esd.ny.gov/covid-19-help NYS will enforce these provisions by way of civil fines and mandatory closure of businesses that violate the law. While there are no individual fines nor criminal charges at this time, there may be additional legal remedies. Regardless, we all have societal obligations to one another. Respect and compassion go a long way. Sometime next week, Governor Cuomo is canceling all elective surgery – any that can be done at a different time. Please contact your medical provider.
NYS is on PAUSE: Creation & Implementation of Uniform Safety PoliciesNYS is on PAUSE, Policies Assure Uniform Safety for Everyone PAUSE provisions are for both the vulnerable population, including seniors over 70, immune-compromised people, and those with underlying illnesses, and non-vulnerable population. 
Know this is not life as usual. Yes, certain people can go outside, but not to play basketball, share a drink, enjoy a playground, or gather with friends. The outdoors is a solitary endeavor or one where you adhere to social distancing.
Other NYS Protections: Internet Providers & EvictionsGovernor Cuomo has asked internet providers to increase data capacity regardless of one’s plan and to do so at no charge. Governor Cuomo has placed a moratorium on any evictions of commercial or residential tenants for 90 days.
Public Transportation: Running on ScheduleAccording to the Governor, mass transit is running as scheduled to provide for service for essential workers. County Executive Latimer confirmed there has been no reduction in service for the Bee Line but reminds the public to only use it as necessary. The County will review scheduling going forward and adjust it accordingly.
Federal & NYS Tax Deadline: IRS Extends DateAccording to a tweet by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the federal deadline to file your income taxes with the IRS is now July 15th. NYS’s deadline is tied to this date and is therefore the same. Further, NYS will forgive interest and penalties relating to sales tax collections for a period of time, but the deadline remains. As of the drafting of this e-Newsletter, neither NYS nor the IRS had posted information to their respective websites. Please review those sites for further and accurate information. We will share the same when available. https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus https://www.tax.ny.gov/press/alerts/nys-tax-response-to-covid-19.htm
Property & Local Taxes: No Change YetYour property taxes, due April 30th, remain scheduled. County Executive Latimer and the County Board of Legislators are reviewing their options for delaying payment. Please be aware that if the County agrees to delay payment there will be significant cash flow issues for both the County and municipalities who must still meet their financial obligations.
Masks, Gloves & PPE: How You Can HelpTwo local moms – both of whom are brilliant doctors working in the field in these difficult conditions – reached out to us yesterday about the shortage of N95 respirator masks in local medical centers and hospitals and the prevalence of these same lifesaving devices being worn by residents at our local grocery stores and other places. If you have any N95 masks, and do not work in a front-line capacity, please DONATE your masks. There is a donation bin inside the New Castle Police Department at Town Hall. We want to say a special thanks to Chief Jim Carroll and the NCPD for their willingness to collect these masks. NYS is also asking any company that can sell medical supplies to NYS to please do so. These critical supplies not only include N95 masks, but gowns and gloves as well. Similarly, if you can manufacture these items, NYS will provide funding and incentives so you can secure the necessary equipment and personnel. Those who can manufacture PPE or sell the same to NYS should call 212.803.3100 or 636.522.8477 respectively. NYS would utilize the Defense Production Act if it was available to the state, but since it is not, we must take the lead. 
Essential Equipment: Ventilators & More Ventilators Ventilators are our greatest need and securing them is NYS’s number one challenge. We need 30,000 ventilators and, according to the Governor, everything else is secondary. To that end, the Governor has communicated to all health departments in NYS that if you have a ventilator and not using it or it is non-essential, the hospitals need it. If you are regulated health facility, the Governor is asking, by the order of Department of Health, to make available ventilators for purchase or to lend to NYS. If you are a medical office or other facility, please contact 518.281.5120. 
Testing for COVID-19: More Examinations Equals More Positive CasesNYS has been testing at a per capita rate greater than China and South Korea. With our increased testing we expected more positives. Simply, finding positive cases, that existed whether or not we tested, is a step in the right direction. It allows us to implement the proper care and procedures to safeguard the public. NYS has tested 32,427 people for COVID-19. Of these, 10,072 were tested since yesterday. To get tested please call 1.888.364.3065. Know that there will likely be a wait time. The County will continue to push for priority testing for first-responders.
Positive Cases of COVID-19: Global, USA, NYS, Westchester & New Castle- The United States has a total of 15,490 positive cases of COVID-19.
- NYS has a total of 7,102 positive cases of COVID-19 including 2,950 confirmed cases since yesterday.
- Westchester County has a total of 1,091 positive cases including 293 confirmed cases since yesterday.
- New Castle has a total of five positive cases including one confirmed case since yesterday.
- Please remember these numbers are fluid from hour to hour and day to day.
- Worldwide there have been 245,454 positive cases, 10,031 deaths, 86,035 recoveries, and 158,418 pending determination.
NYS Hospitalizations & Fatalities: Increasing Numbers1,255 out of 7,102 (18%) persons have been hospitalized for COVID-19 in NYS. In terms of raw numbers, hospitalization increased from 777 individuals yesterday. 35 people have died in NYS as result of COVID-19.
Parsing Fact from Fiction: Vulnerable Youth & ICUsYoung people are vulnerable, and the virus can spread even if you do not present any symptoms. According to the CDC, 20% of Coronavirus patients are aged 20-44 and 50% of patients in French ICU facilities are under 60.
A Little Levity: Best Buy’s Geek Squad & LiquorDuring the press conference, Governor Cuomo was asked whether the “Geek Squad” was considered essential for the purpose of his Executive Order. After all, with all the people who now work from home, those of us who are not Millennials or younger may need a little help getting the technology up and running. Governor Cuomo was stumped. Use the Geek Squad at your own risk, but know you can head to the liquor store, which is deemed “essential,” as you wait.
The New Castle Family: Staying Together & Remaining StrongEarlier today, Governor Cuomo calmly and with genuine sincerity said, “I want to look back and say to the people of the State of New York I did everything we could do. This is about saving lives. If everything we do saves just one life, I’ll be happy.” Whether it’s through the actions and words of our Governor, local first-responders like District One New Castle Board of Fire Commissioners and the Chappaqua Fire Department who held an emergency meeting to ensure their full preparedness, or Supervisor Ivy Pool, Deputy Supervisor Jeremy Saland, Council members Lisa Katz, Jason Lichtenthal and Lauren Levin, Town Administrator Jill Shapiro, and our Town staff, we will not waiver in our responsibility - making each one of you our priority. | 