Governor Cuomo and the state's COVID Task Force has been working in consultation with global public health experts, local governments and other stakeholders to ensure that their winter plan builds off the lessons learned during the past nine months to anticipate and prepare for an expected increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations over the holiday season. The winter plan consists of five targeted strategies focused on mitigating the spread of the virus and bolstering New York State hospital preparedness:
Strategy 1: Continue and Strengthen New York's Targeted Micro-Cluster Strategy while Managing Hospital Capacity to Enhance and Equalize Care
Strategy 2: Increase and Balance Testing Resources and Availability
Strategy 3: Keep School Open Safely
Strategy 4: Prevent Viral Spread from Small Gatherings
Strategy 5: Operationalize an Equitable and Safe Vaccination Program
A few things I pulled out of the video on this page:
New York is not the only state trying to restrict household gatherings. California, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), North Carolina and Wisconsin all currently have a rule of no more than 10 in an indoor gathering.
Not being able to hang out with friends in public social settings has increased the number of small gatherings at home, and this appears to be one of the main places the virus is currently spreading. I think restricting indoor dining at restaurants more than it already is would just lead to many more household gatherings. So, I don't think that is anyone's goal.
The state has had a micro-cluster strategy in place since mid-October - tracking positivity rate and increasing restrictions within the cluster (red, orange, yellow zones). The recent change to this is adding hospitalization preparedness. What does that do for our area when our closest hospital is 60+ miles away?
Overall, New York State is doing better than many other states right now, and I want to believe the governor when he says we are better prepared than we were when this virus first hit us. And I also have to agree with him that getting this under control is all on us. Our behavior, our actions are what will determine what happens tomorrow.
I am still looking at running an IABA ad with the North Country Chamber of Commerce. This would include an 8.5x11 flyer in one of their monthly newsletters and a 175x175 box on their hompage that would appear for 2 consecutive weeks, which we would be able to chose. I was thinking the month of June. If anyone has thoughts on this, I would welcome them.
AdkAction, based in Saranac Lake, in partnership with the Hub on the Hill, located in Essex, has been offering Farm Fresh Packages, which contain healthy meals and fresh ingredients sourced from local farms, to low-income residents in the North Country. Through the Hub on the Hill's mobile market, residents have the ability to purchase healthy food from multiple local farms at a subsidized price and have it delivered to their homes. To ensure accessibility for low-income residents, the mobile market will accept SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, and other incentives. Additionally, AdkAction will pilot Fair Food Pricing—an incentive program that will reduce the cost of local food purchases by 30 percent for qualifying families—and assist low-income residents with enrolling in the pilot program. *** Their map, currently does not include our area, but they have said, "If we had some folks expressed interest we could try to reach out to volunteers for delivery. Maybe we can even organize a centralized distribution site in Long Lake as a starting point." If you know of an interest, I encourage you to reach out to them.
ROOST has been collecting information from restaurants. If you have not filled out their form yet, please do so here.
More than 200 people virtually attended the Adirondack Common Ground Alliance forum this year, and they helped identify four primary opportunities for stat investment in the Adirondacks: Evaluate Cellular & Broadband deployment, Invest in Childcare, Extend funding for the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, and Expand funding to deal with the increased use of the High Peaks in the Forest Preserve. Read the complete 2020 blueprint here.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the official launch of the AskUSDA Contact Center program. The AskUSDA Contact Center will serve as the “one front door” for phone, chat, and web inquires, transforming how the public interacts with USDA and providing an enhanced experience for the public. The public can contact AskUSDA by phone at (833) ONE-USDA with representatives available 9:00am-5:30pm EST weekdays. The website (https://ask.usda.gov/) is available 24/7 and includes live chat agents available 10:00am-6:00pm EST on weekdays. Inquiries can also be sent via email at any time to askusda@usda.gov.
ROOST has wonterized their Politely Adirondack Signage. A have a few extras in my office, if anyone would like some. They can also be found here.
Meetings & Webinars:
Wednesday, December 2 @ 9:00 a.m. - What's Next: Restaurant COVID Recovery - Register here
Wednesday, December 2 @ 10:00 a.m. - Inlet Climate Smart Communities Taskforce - Ask Adele for Zoom link
Wednesday, December 2 @ 6:00 p.m. - TOW UFSD Capital Maintenance Project Public Hearing @ the school & online here - Click here to see the plan - Vote will take place on Wednesday, December 12 from 2:00-8:00 p.m. in the gym
Thursday, December 3 @ 7:00 p.m. - IABA Regular Monthly Meeting - I will send the Zoom link in a separate email
Tuesday, December 8 @ 9:00 a.m. - M/WBE Benefits & Certification Process - Register here
Tuesday, December 8 @ 7:30 p.m. - Inlet Town Board Regular Monthly Meeting - Zoom link will be availble upon request
Tuesday, December 15 @ 1:00 p.m. - Effective Digital Marketing During COVID-19: What Hospitality Managers Need to Know - Register here
The Hedges - The Hedges on Blue Mountain Lake calendar features photographs taken by its guests. The 2021 calendar also includes historical information and images since this is part of the celebration of its first 100 years offering lodging and dining to guests.
