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Audio Feature: COVID-19 update
May 26, 2020 12:05 am
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Melanie Lekocevic, reporting for Columbia-Greene Media does not say how many people attended Memorial Day ceremonies in Catskill and Hudson on May 25. Three days before, Gov. Andrew Cuomo limited such gatherings to just ten people to limit exposures to the coronavirus. There is a photo of at least four people at the event organized by the Honeyford Memorial American Legion Post 110 on the steps of the Greene County Courthouse on May 25, and at least two other attendees are quoted in the story. The Hudson American Legion Post 184 held a ceremony at their property in the Columbia County city, and the story quotes three attendees. “Normally, we would have hundreds of people come out to pay their respects to our fallen comrades,” Cmdr. Ed Coons said. On May 26 the State Legislature will hold committee meetings in Albany, with several proposals related to the COVID-19 pandemic being considered. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has held unprecedented executive power during the pandemic, said May 25 that New York faces a minimum $13.3 billion budget shortfall and warned legislators about adding to that gap. “Legislatures tend to spend money. That’s basically the power of the purse. The problem in this situation is, we don’t have any money,” Cuomo said. On May 25 Cuomo said that state and local governments will pay for death benefits for families of front-line workers in the state who died from COVID-19. He also called for the federal government to provide hazard pay to those who cared for the sick. "There's not a transit worker who drove a bus or conducted a train or a nurse who didn't walk into an emergency room who wasn't scared to death. They knew what we were talking about. It was enough to shut down society." On May 26, the Mid-Hudson Region, including Ulster and Dutchess counties, begins its reopening process, while Greene, Columbia, Albany, and Rensselaer counties began restarting last week. It may be at least another week before there is additional reopening. “We’re watching the numbers,” Cuomo said May 23. “Two weeks between each phase is a rule of thumb. That’s not a hard-and-fast number." But as Ulster County gets set to reopen, County Executive Pat Ryan warned citizens that it is a very limited beginning. “I think my main concern and message to every single resident is even though we are beginning to open, it is more important (than ever) to wear masks, maintain distancing, and wash hands and so on,” Ryan said. “We need everyone to understand that every single person is responsible for how this goes.” On May 25 New York announced 96 more deaths from COVID-19, with 75 of the people dying in hospitals, and the other 21 dying in nursing homes. Columbia County announced ten more COVID-19 cases on May 25, for a total of 381. Greene County announced six more cases, for a total of 275.
Melanie Lekocevic, reporting for Columbia-Greene Media does not say how many people attended Memorial Day ceremonies in Catskill and Hudson on May 25. Three days before, Gov. Andrew Cuomo limited such gatherings to just ten people to limit exposures to the coronavirus. There is a photo of at least four people at the event organized by the Honeyford Memorial American Legion Post 110 on the steps of the Greene County Courthouse on May 25, and at least two other attendees are quoted in the story. The Hudson American Legion Post 184 held a ceremony at their property in the Columbia County city, and the story quotes three attendees. “Normally, we would have hundreds of people come out to pay their respects to our fallen comrades,” Cmdr. Ed Coons said. On May 26 the State Legislature will hold committee meetings in Albany, with several proposals related to the COVID-19 pandemic being considered. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has held unprecedented executive power during the pandemic, said May 25 that New York faces a minimum $13.3 billion budget shortfall and warned legislators about adding to that gap. “Legislatures tend to spend money. That’s basically the power of the purse. The problem in this situation is, we don’t have any money,” Cuomo said. On May 25 Cuomo said that state and local governments will pay for death benefits for families of front-line workers in the state who died from COVID-19. He also called for the federal government to provide hazard pay to those who cared for the sick. "There's not a transit worker who drove a bus or conducted a train or a nurse who didn't walk into an emergency room who wasn't scared to death. They knew what we were talking about. It was enough to shut down society." On May 26, the Mid-Hudson Region, including Ulster and Dutchess counties, begins its reopening process, while Greene, Columbia, Albany, and Rensselaer counties began restarting last week. It may be at least another week before there is additional reopening. “We’re watching the numbers,” Cuomo said May 23. “Two weeks between each phase is a rule of thumb. That’s not a hard-and-fast number." But as Ulster County gets set to reopen, County Executive Pat Ryan warned citizens that it is a very limited beginning. “I think my main concern and message to every single resident is even though we are beginning to open, it is more important (than ever) to wear masks, maintain distancing, and wash hands and so on,” Ryan said. “We need everyone to understand that every single person is responsible for how this goes.” On May 25 New York announced 96 more deaths from COVID-19, with 75 of the people dying in hospitals, and the other 21 dying in nursing homes. Columbia County announced ten more COVID-19 cases on May 25, for a total of 381. Greene County announced six more cases, for a total of 275.