MOST RECENT COVID-19 UPDATES FROM THE VILLAGE OF TUXEDO PARK
From The Mayor's Desk - Covid 19 Update -Orange County Covid-19 Update (posted November 2, 2020)
Dear Neighbors,
Clearly, cases and hospital stays have increased in areas of the country, and unfortunately, there have been increases in Orange County too. In today’s Times Herald-Record Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus has reminded residents that while there have been numerous new cases in population centers of Palm Tree, Newburgh, Middletown, the Town of Wallkill, and New Windsor. Statistically, Orange County recorded 155 people testing positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, bringing the county's total to 13,859 since the start of the pandemic. The county's total number of COVID-19 deaths rose by one to 508. Please use all CDC recommended precautions.
MOST RECENT COVID-19 UPDATES FROM THE TOWN OF TUXEDO
Tuxedo Town Hall Reopening Monday August 3rd, 2020 - Posted 8/3/2020
Esteemed Town Employees, Town Board colleagues, Tuxedo residents, and visitors.The Tuxedo Town Hall is now open to the public. This follows many weeks of restricted access that was intended to protect Town employees and the general public. Now, Town offices, including the Town Clerk, all have regularly scheduled hours in order to serve you. Hand sanitizer will be at each door and masks are required to enter the building.
The Justice Court, our busiest unit, will resume “in person” operations this week. They have a backlog of cases to adjudicate so managing the crowds will be a concern. We will limit the number of people in the building at any one time and the flow of traffic will be unidirectional. Visitors to the court will enter through the front door, be admitted to the courtroom, go before the judge, and exit through the side door in the courtroom.
Visitors to the second floor, for the Building Department, Assessor, Recreation Department, Supervisor’s Office, or for any other purpose will be directed to enter through the back of the building, up the ramp. Visitors will be advised to call the person they are meeting to either set an appointment or to have someone open the door.
Town Board Meetings will continue to be held via WebEx until further notice. The Community Room, where we normally hold these meetings, is small with poor ventilation and thus not suitable for any size crowd. I hope that in the fall we can begin hosting meetings in person. The Community Room is also a meeting space for our senior citizens so keeping them safe will be an important factor in deciding our public access policy.
All outgoing voice messaging must be updated to clarify that Town Hall is open and that staff are here on a regular schedule. Our webpage message will be updated and all signage should reflect these changes.
As the pandemic continues to unfold The Town Board, working under the direction of The Governor’s Office and Orange County officials, will update our emergency response as necessary. These plans are all subject to change.
We continue to move forward and strengthen our community. So, stay safe, work together, and continue to help those most in need.
VACCINE UPDATE: I'm immediately calling for additional vaccines for Orange, Rockland, and Ulster Counties.
Anyone with a pulse in New York State knows that this vaccine rollout leaves much to be desired. While many other states, too, have faced problems, it is inexcusable that, while vials are flying off the shelves in some counties, thousands continue to sit unused in other parts of the state.
Furthermore, local providers continue to tell me that communication with the Department of Health is often like speaking to a brick wall. Constituents, meanwhile, are being left in the dark as they call around to the vaccine hotline, local counties, medical practitioners, pharmacies, and state legislators for answers. How these shortcomings are even remotely possible given the lead-time that the state had to prepare is difficult to fathom.
On a recent zoom with the Department of Health Commissioner, I pressed him for answers and, specifically, what's being done to improve the rollout; frustratingly, generic talking points substituted for any real answers. Meanwhile, the three counties I represent - Orange, Rockland, and Ulster - have an extreme shortage of vaccines available to them.
I am calling on the Governor and the Commissioner to immediately evaluate the situation on the ground in these counties, develop a strategy to improve the distribution of vaccines to counties with the longest per capita waitlists and highest rates of infection, and standardize the far-too-confusing appointment process.
The federal government certainly bears a great deal of the blame with its limited planning and supply but, regardless, New York State must do better and we have no time to waste.
Community Resources:
If you know or suspect someone despicably price gouging, please report it by calling 1-800-697-1220 or Local Consumer Affairs at 845-360-6700.
The New York State Department of Health has set up a 24-Hour Hotline Number: 1-888-364-3065 and informational website.
The CDC's Recommendations for vulnerable populations can be found here.
The CDC Guidelines for Childcare Centers and K-12 Schools can be found here.
Online Alcoholics-Anonymous Meetings can be found here.
