News & Events

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that people in New York City protesting the death of George Floyd should assume they have been exposed to the coronavirus. “If you were at a protest I would assume you’re exposed,” Cuomo said. 

The governor also announced the state is opening COVID-19 testing facilities to all people who were at a protest. He urged protesters to act as if they have been exposed by telling those that they live with, and getting tested.

“The protesters themselves could wind up creating a spike,” he said, noting that it won’t be clear for at least two weeks.

At least 52 people died from the coronavirus Wednesday, Cuomo said. The governor stressed that while new cases are still on the decline, that is due to the state’s stay-at-home and social distancing orders up until this point.

Every region statewide has been allowed to begin reopening except for New York City. As of Thursday, the city had met five out of seven metrics to reopen, according to the state’s “regional un-pause dashboard,” but is expected to begin phase one of reopening on Monday, June 8.

Cuomo spoke after New York City woke up from its third night under curfew, which saw dozens of arrests and clashes between police and protesters. The 8 p.m. curfew is aimed at containing violence and looting in the aftermath of Floyd’s death.

The governor said officers have the right to enforce the law against those who are violating curfew and refuse to leave. He said violence at the protests is down overall, but admonished those who have attacked police, as well as looters, saying they should be charged “appropriately” for burglary.

First published on June 4, 2020 / 7:33 AM

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Update for Thursday, June 4, 2020

• Governor Andrew Cuomo today (Thursday) confirmed the Hudson Valley Region is on track to enter Phase 2 on June 9th.
• Restaurants will be allowed to have outdoor dining when our region enters Phase 2. You must still review the summary guidelines, complete the affirmation and Safety Plan prior to reopening. They can be found HERE.
• Additionally, the New York State Liquor Authority has released guidance on how establishments with a license to serve alcoholic beverages can continue to do so outdoors, but still on premise. The guidance will be in effect until July 3rd but can be extended. The guidance can be found HERE.
• The U.S. Senate and U.S. House has passed a bill that makes changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The bill will now be sent to President Donald Trump for his signature. The changes are as follows:
  1. Extends the PPP loan forgiveness period to include costs incurred over 24 weeks after a loan is issued or through Dec. 31, whichever comes first. Businesses that received a loan before the measure is enacted could keep the current eight-week period.
  2. Extends to Dec. 31 from June 30 a period in which loans can be forgiven if businesses restore staffing or salary levels that were previously reduced. The provision would apply to worker and wage reductions made from Feb. 15 through 30 days after enactment of the CARES Act, which was signed into law on March 27.
  3. Maintains forgiveness amounts for companies that document their inability to rehire workers employed as of Feb. 15, and their inability to find similarly qualified workers by the end of the year. Under the modified measure, companies would be covered separately if they show that they couldn’t resume business levels from before Feb. 15 because they were following federal requirements for sanitization or social distancing.
  4. Extends the deadline to apply for a PPP loan to Dec. 31 from June 30.
  5. Requires at least 60% of forgiven loan amounts to come from payroll expenses.
  6. Repeals a provision from the CARES Act that barred companies with forgiven PPP loans from deferring their payroll tax payments.
  7. Allows borrowers to defer principal and interest payments on PPP loans until the SBA compensates lenders for any forgiven amounts, instead of the current six-month deferral period. Borrowers that don’t apply for forgiveness would be given at least 10 months after the program expires to start making payments.
  8. Establishes a minimum loan maturity period of five years following an application for loan forgiveness, instead of the current two-year deadline set by the SBA. That provision would apply to PPP loans issued after the measure is enacted, though borrowers and lenders could agree to extend current loans.

If you have any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other business related concerns and suggestions, please email Contact@DutchessBNN.com. Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your continued support through this time.

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For weeks, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, working with local supervisors and mayors, has pushed the state and State Liquor Authority for a series of innovative actions to help restaurants provide alternatives to traditional “dine-in” set-ups, and enable them to take advantage of the important summer dining season. New York State has taken Dutchess County’s suggestions and yesterday authorized restaurants to offer outdoor dining once the region is in Phase II. Phase II is currently anticipated to begin on or about Tuesday, June 9th, pending state authorization.

“This is big news for our local restaurants after weeks of pushing the State to give these local businesses a real chance at survival – particularly during the critical summer dining season. We’re grateful to the State, and particularly Chairman Bradley and the State Liquor Authority for this accommodation.” said County Executive Molinaro. “With Phase II just around the corner for the Mid-Hudson Region, restaurants and local municipalities have the opportunity to get prepped now and be ready to welcome customers next week as soon as we get the Phase II green light.”

Original State guidance said on-premise dining would not be allowed until Phase III. County Executive Molinaro pushed hard to allow the flexibility for local restaurant operators to be able begin sooner, as the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is vital for restaurant operations.

Under the new guidance released yesterday, the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) is allowing outdoor, on-premises service of alcoholic beverages and/or food to resume. It also provides options expand outdoor dining premises as advocated by County Executive Molinaro.

Once a region is in Phase II, restaurants can offer outdoor dining under the following guidance:

• Food and/or beverage must be consumed in outdoor, open-air areas, without a fixed roof (besides a temporary or seasonal awning or cover).
• Food and/or beverage must be consumed while seated at a table, bar, counter, or similar contrivance.
• All tables must be 6 feet apart; any seat at bar, counter, or similar must be 6 feet apart.
• All staff of the licensed business must wear face masks at all times.
• All customers must wear face masks at any time they are not seated.
• Any consumption shall be subject to all other relevant executive orders, guidances promulgated by the Department of Health, and/or any other relevant agency guidance.

Following the suggestions from Dutchess County, the SLA guidance allows for the expansion of premises, under the current establishment’s license, where food and beverages may be consumed. This includes municipal-owned land (e.g. sidewalks, streets, etc.) contiguous to a licensed establishment in coordination with the local municipality.

To expedite this process, County Executive Molinaro will issue an executive order, to go into effect before the County enters Phase II of Re-Opening on June 9th, waiving local regulations and requirements that could cause a potential burden or delay for local establishments to expand outdoor dining space. The executive order will also aid in the local efforts to provide access to municipal-owned land. County Executive Molinaro, during his biweekly conference call with local Mayors & Supervisors, reviewed the new SLA guidance and strongly encouraged local leaders to assist their local restaurant operators in taking advantage of this opportunity.

Complete SLA guidance for outdoor dining can be found here: https://sla.ny.gov/new-york-state-liquor-authority-guidance-outdoor-expansion-licensed-premises-response-covid-19

“Now more than ever before, we need to think creatively and be willing to push beyond normal operating procedures to give our local businesses a real chance at survival. These business owners have sacrificed a great deal, closing down or severely restricting their operations, to keep our community healthy and safe. We must be willing to think creatively to help return them to vitality and bring our Main Streets back to life,” concluded Molinaro.

Dutchess County Government continues to provide residents the most current information on its COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard, as well as guidance on its website, dutchessny.gov/coronavirus, its Coronavirus hotline, (845) 486-3555, and its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced outdoor dining at restaurants will be permitted in phase two of reopening. Restaurants in the seven regions that have already entered phase two – the Capital Region, Central New York, the Finger Lakes, the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, the Southern Tier and Western New York – can reopen for outdoor dining beginning tomorrow, June 4th. Outdoor tables must be spaced six feet apart, all staff must wear face coverings and customers must also wear face coverings when not seated. SHARE

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Governor Cuomo also announced that Erie County is now eligible to resume elective surgeries and ambulatory care. The Governor previously announced that the state will allow elective outpatient treatments to resume in counties and hospitals without significant risk of COVID-19 surge in the near term, and a total of 52 counties can now resume elective surgeries (4 counties do not have hospitals).

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro hosted his most recent online COVID-19 Town Hall and Tele-Town Hall this afternoon providing the latest updates and news about the local impact of the pandemic and Dutchess County’s response.

Hundreds of residents viewed the event on the County’s Facebook page as the County Executive gave residents updates and answered their questions. The full online discussion can be viewed on Dutchess County Government’s YouTube page.

Highlights from this afternoon’s Town Hall discussion included:

• Just over a week into Phase 1 of the re-opening process, County Executive Molinaro noted the health metrics continue to be encouraging. New York State’s new Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard shows positive trends, including a continued decline in new confirmed cases. The County Executive encouraged citizens to continue wearing masks as required and to take advantage of COVID-19 testing if they have been in settings where they were unable to properly social distance.
• In addition to the industries that are part of Phase 1 – construction, manufacturing, agriculture, wholesale trade and retail for pick up and delivery – dental offices were given the green light by the state to open this past Monday, June 1st.
• The anticipated date for the Mid-Hudson region, including Dutchess County, to commence Phase 2 is Tuesday, June 9th, based on the general guidance of two weeks between phases. However, the final date must be authorized by the Governor. Under Phase 2, the following business categories are allowed to open, provided they reduce capacity to 50 percent, follow social distancing guidelines (including wearing face coverings when less than 6 feet apart) and reduce congregation and personal contact:
  • hair salons and barber shops (only haircuts, stylings and colorings are permitted);
  • offices;
  • real estate;
  • in-store retail (fitting rooms must be appropriately sanitized);
  • vehicle sales, leases and rentals;
  • and commercial building management.

It was announced today outdoor dining at restaurants will be allowed in Phase 2, though tables must be spaced out, and staff must wear face coverings, as do patrons when not at their table. Shopping malls are not allowed to open under Phase 2, though stores located within malls that have their own external entrances open to the public, separate from the general mall entrance, may open as part of Phase 2.

It was also announced this week that day camps may begin operating June 29th.

• County Executive Molinaro reiterated the importance of residents continuing to get tested for COVID-19. Continued testing will give DBCH an accurate assessment of COVID-19 cases in the community, and it will also allow Dutchess County to progress to the next phase(s) of re-opening. County Executive Molinaro again emphasized the need for residents to wear cloth face coverings when they go out in public, in accordance with the Governor’s executive order, to help contain the community spread of COVID-19.

County Executive Molinaro will host another COVID-19 Town Hall on Friday, June 5th at 2 p.m. As with all previous online town hall forums, the June 5th event will be broadcast live on the Dutchess County Government Facebook page, and American Sign Language interpreters will translate the conversation. For information on how to participate and view past online COVID-19 community conversations, view the County’s Coronavirus webpage.

Dutchess County Government continues to provide residents the most current information on its COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard, as well as guidance on its website, dutchessny.gov/coronavirus, its Coronavirus hotline, (845) 486-3555, and its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Update for Wednesday, June 3, 2020

• Governor Andrew Cuomo today (Wednesday) announced outdoor dining at restaurants will be permitted in phase two of reopening. Outdoor tables must be spaced six feet apart, all staff must wear face coverings and customers must also wear face coverings when not seated. For guidance from the state on how to operate outdoor dining, click HERE.
• The target date for reopening The Mid-Hudson Region (Dutchess County) is 6/9. For Phase II industries and guidance please visit HERE.
• Empire State Development has updated their FAQ page for New York Forward and the reopening of the state. It can be found HERE.
• Governor Cuomo has signed a new Executive Order that extends the period individuals have to pay their property taxes without receiving a fine or penalty by 21 days. This does not cover every municipality in the state, but Dutchess County was included on this list. The rest of the municipalities, including cities, towns, and villages, can be found HERE.
• OSHA has released guidance on how stockroom and loading dock workers can remain safe during COVID-19. A copy of that guidance can be found HERE.
• The CDC, in conjunction with OSHA, has released extensive guidance for agriculture workers during COVID-19. The guidance can be found HERE.

If you have any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other business related concerns and suggestions, please email Contact@DutchessBNN.com. Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your continued support through this time.

As “Restarting Dutchess” efforts continue, Dutchess County Public Transit (DCPT) has announced full bus service will resume for all 13 fixed routes, as well as rail link services, this Saturday, June 6th.    Extensive social distancing and cleaning protocols are in place to protect the health and safety of riders and drivers and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Bus fares for all services have been temporarily suspended for a pilot period to allow passengers to adjust to the various safety protocols.  

“With more and more residents returning to work and as businesses reopen under the State’s phased reopening plan, Dutchess County Public Transit will return to full service to help get people to work and other activities,” said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. “We are all navigating uncharted waters, so we ask everyone to be patient and cooperative with safety measures that are designed to protect our community’s health and safety. During the initial transition to full service, there will be no charge to passengers, and we will continue to offer our special same day on-demand service for our more vulnerable residents.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic first arrived in Dutchess County, DCPT has implemented significant cleaning and sanitization procedures, as well as new public health safety policies for drivers and passengers including:

• Vehicles are cleaned and sanitized daily with sanitizing spray;
• Drivers are given daily temperature checks at the start of their shifts;
• Bus drivers continue to wear face masks and gloves;
• All riders are required to wear a face covering or mask; masks will be available on the buses for riders who need them;
• Social distancing markers are in place; and
• Passengers must board and disembark buses through the rear door.

DCPT is also anticipating further regulations to be required from the State’s Department of Transportation and will publicize any updates as they become available.

In addition to the regular fixed route service, the County’s special same-day, on-demand service, which was implemented when Public Transit limited service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 24th, will continue to be available Monday thru Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm for senior citizens, those with disabilities, and veterans. Other riders may be accommodated if seat availability allows. The on-demand service is for trips originating and ending within Dutchess County for the limited purpose of visiting:

• Pharmacy for pick-up and drop-off of prescriptions
• Food shopping center
• Doctor’s office or health care facility for medical needs only.

To schedule this service, please call Dutchess County’s Coronavirus Hotline Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm at 845-486-3555, option 6.  Please have the following information ready when calling:

• Passenger name
• Phone number
• Pick up address
• Destination address

Please note, this service is not intended for medical emergencies.  Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should dial 9-1-1.

All Dutchess County Public Transit’s routes and schedules are available online at DutchessNY.gov/publictransit.    DCPT also offers a newly redesigned mobile app with real-time bus tracking. The DCPT app is available for IOS and Android on Google Play and Apple App Store from DoubleMap.

Dutchess County Government continues to provide residents the most current information on its COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard, as well as guidance on its website, dutchessny.gov/coronavirus, its Coronavirus hotline, (845) 486-3555, and its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

https://www.wsj.com/video/coronavirus-update-virus-concerns-amid-protests-meat-prices-stay-high/A1D6CB40-C695-4833-BE74-4C592351AD1B.htmlhttps://www.wsj.com/video/coronavirus-update-virus-concerns-amid-protests-meat-prices-stay-high/A1D6CB40-C695-4833-BE74-4C592351AD1B.html

The CDC recommends cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces daily. Bryan Warcholek, who leads the Covid-19 team for biohazard clean-up company Aftermath Services, shows how it’s done. Please click on the ink below to view the video:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is scheduled to give his daily update from New York City on Monday at 11:30 a.m.

During Sunday’s briefing in Albany, the governor addressed several protests which turned violent across the state this past weekend. He said demonstrators needed to call for specific action instead of resorting to violence and destruction.

MORE | Gov. Cuomo on protests: ‘Being violent creates a scapegoat to shift the blame’