Press release:

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have received 14 more COVID-19 cases. Orleans has 12 new cases (bringing the total to 166) and Genesee has two (bringing the total to 171). 

Contact tracing has been initiated and all who have had direct contact with the individuals will be notified by Health Department staff. Nine of the Orleans County individuals are residents of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center and three are community members. Genesee County’s two individuals who tested positive are community members.

The health department was made aware that the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) did swab all residents and employees of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center. Any questions regarding specific issues should be addressed to The Villages or NYSDOH.

We have also received word of the death of an individual who had tested positive for COVID-19 and was a resident of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center (now for a total of 21 nursing home deaths related to COVID-19). Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of this individual during this very sad and difficult time.

Horse racing in New York State could resume as early as June 1, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today at his COVID-19 pandemic press conference.

The governor said that racing would take place without spectators and with safety measures that will be outlined in detail in the days ahead, and the restart would hinge upon the continuous decline of New York’s total hospitalization rate from the virus. 

While live racing isn’t scheduled to officially begin at Batavia Downs Gaming until July 22, Henry Wojtaszek, president of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., said today’s announcement is welcome news.

“We’re certainly happy to hear that, and we have been doing a great deal of work preparing for our opening (of the gaming facility) sometime in June,” he said. “We have been working with the (New York State) Gaming Commission internally and will start working on the track in about a week or so to get that ready.”

Batavia Downs’ harness racing slate currently lists 65 dates, beginning on Wed., July 22 and ending in early December.

When asked if Batavia Downs Gaming has a reopening plan in place, Wojtaszek said that “it’s a work in progress” that is being shared at every step with the Gaming Commission.

Live Racing GM/Director Todd Haight, Vice President of Operations Scott Kiedrowski, and Wojtaszek are steering the drafting of the facility’s reopening plan in conjunction with the Western New York Harness Horsemen’s Association, “with whom we have a very good relationship,” Wojtaszek said.

“We’re also working with our trade association, the New York Gaming Association, and individually to cleanse and sanitize, and put the safety protocols in place,” he said, noting that some parts of the operation are included in Phase Three and some in Phase Four of the state’s four-phase reopening strategy.

“That’s why we’re hoping to open sometime in June,” he said.

Wojtaszek said that all employees are back to work, some on a regular basis – such as security, surveillance and maintenance staff – and others either working at the Park Road site, from home or on call.

Also, today, Cuomo said that Watkins Glen International race track would be able to reopen for NASCAR races in August, and baseball was mentioned as a sport that could conduct its season without fans in the stands.

The governor reported that daily hospitalizations and intubations have dropped to around 400 new cases per day.

A two-car accident is reported in the city at Center and School streets downtown. It is partially blocking traffic. Occupants are out; one male has a minor head injury and is conscious and alert. City fire, Mercy medics and police are on scene. Two flatbed tows are called.

Press release:

“Channel 4 contacted me several weeks ago asking if I would accept their invitation to debate my primary challengers. Without hesitation, I responded yes, I would love to debate. I believe the voters in NY-27 deserve it. 

Yesterday, Channel 4 called to let me know that the debate has been canceled due to my opponent, Chris Jacobs, refusing to participate.

The career politician is refusing to debate me. Why? What is he hiding? Is he afraid that his liberal voting record will be exposed? 

If Jacobs is refusing to debate me, how can he debate anyone or stand up for anything in Congress? We cannot afford to have weak politicians. If he can’t even debate me, he certainly doesn’t have what it takes to stand up to AOC, Nancy Pelosi, or Chuck Schumer. 

We need someone in Congress with enough resolve to stand up for what’s right, a fighter, not afraid of a challenge. It’s time we have real representation. I am not going to back down from a fight. I am not going to back down from a debate. I will respond to questions because the voters deserve answers. They deserve to be informed.”

The Batavian received this response from the Jacobs campaign at 4:26 p.m.:

“We have agreed to participate in two formats with WIVB, one for the special and one for the primary. We had previously agreed to debate Nate McMurray and look forward to allowing voters to see the clear choice between Chris Jacobs -- a strong conservative leader, who has been endorsed by President Trump and will help the President secure our borders, get tough on China, and fight for Western New York -- and Nate McMurray who supports Bernie Sanders’ and AOC’s far-left socialist agenda.”

Tim McArdle, Le Roy High School principal, created a series of videos celebrating the Oatkan Knights spring sports teams, which had their spring seasons canceled by the pandemic. For the full playlist, click here.

Three local companies that normally compete with each other have come together to support the community and Batavia High School Students by creating and printing a series of T-shirts that feature the Blue Devils logo.

The shirts are being produced and sold in cooperation with BHS by Extreme Streetwear, John’s Studio and T-Shirts Etc.

Each shop created its own design. The options included short sleeve T-shirts, long sleeve T-shirts, crew neck sweatshirts, and hooded sweatshirts.

The shirts can be purchased online at an online team store.

The store will be open until May 31. Once closed, each shop will have one week to produce their apparel. There will be shipping available via UPS as well as local pickup option at BHS on June 6.

The store owners, in a statement, said they came together to highlight a local option for branded and commemorative apparel and encourage people to shop local. 

Especially in these times, we all feel that shopping local is essential. COVID-19 brought with it so many uncertainties, trials, and hardships, but what has remained consistent is the loyalty and strength in our local business community.

Briefing.

Gov. Cuomo announced that harness racing at Batavia Downs can resume without fans on June 1.

Press release:

• Westchester and Suffolk counties are now eligible to resume elective surgeries and ambulatory care.
• Calls on U.S. Senate to pass Coronavirus Relief Bill
• Confirms 2,419 additional coronavirus cases in New York State -- bringing statewide total to 348,232; new cases in 52 counties.

Governor Cuomo: "What can you do, or what economic activity is willing to reopen without a crowd, right? They're talking about this in terms of sports. You're going to have baseball without a crowd but it can still be televised -- great. If you can have economic activity without a crowd, that's great. We can do that in this state with horseracing tracks, and we're going to do that. There will be guidelines for the actual participants, but no crowds, no fans. But for the industry itself, for the televised viewers, that can still work. That is also true with Watkins Glen, that can operate and there's a big viewership for Watkins Glen."

Cuomo: "Let's put the politics aside. If there's ever a moment in this government, in this country, where it's not about politics, this is the moment. For Senators to be talking about 'I'm not going to bail out blue states because the blue states have more coronavirus cases', shame on you. Shame on you to look at the death toll in this nation and say 'I want to count how many people passed away by their political party and I'm more interested in states where Republicans live than where Democrats live'. We're not Democrats and Republicans, we are Americans. That's what comes first and in a time of crisis we've always been Americans."

Earlier today, Cuomo announced horseracing tracks across the state and Watkins Glen International Racetrack will be allowed to open without fans as of June 1st. The state will issue guidance on how they can open safely reopen in the coming week.

"Operation Flight From Above" flew over Batavia’s VA home and UMMC to thank healthcare providers for their effort during the COVID-19 crisis.

The flyover consisted of two World War II era planes. Geneseo’s National Warplane Museum’s  C-47 "Whiskey 7," which saw service over Normandy, France, and a locally owned P51 Mustang called "Mad Max."

After a rough start because of bad weather in the Southern Tier, the formation flew over only about 15 minutes late at 1,300 feet and 180 mph.  

The parking lots and sidewalks around UMCC were full of viewers who got a glimpse of the planes as they flew over during their salute. 

Next two photos below submitted by Frank Capuano.

Photo below by Bob Aiken.

As Genesee County moves into its first week of a Phase One reopening from a pandemic lockdown, Public Health Director Paul Pettit said it's reasonable to expect to see more positive COVID-19 cases reported, both because of an increase in testing, and because people will be in contact with each other.

But positive cases are not the key metric to monitor, Pettit said. What he and government officials will watch is the availability of hospital beds. Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to maintain a 30-percent capacity available at hospitals.

With hospitals now permitted to perform elective procedures, there are fewer beds available than when those procedures were prohibited, Pettit indicated.

"A lot of the indicators aren't really directly honing in on a specific number of cases or a number of positives," Pettit said. "They're really honing on our regional capacity to deal with them. A lot of it's focused on hospitalization, ICU beds, number of available beds. Those types of criteria are a more important indicator of how we can handle and respond to the most vulnerable populations because again, our immune-compromised, those with underlying health issues, need hospital beds, need higher levels of care. That's going to be our issue."

Continued acceptable hospital capacity in the Finger Lakes Region will be a key indicator as New York becomes unpaused for each phase of the reopening.

To keep that number low, Pettit said, people need to continue to take all necessary precautions against spreading the disease.

"It is expected we're going to see an increased number of cases, but we need to do our best to continue to try to keep them low," Pettit said. "Make sure we're practicing our social distancing, and hopefully not have spike rates in severe cases that are going to impact our health system."

Unpausing New York is expected to happen in four phases by region:

Phase One:

• Construction
• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
• Retail -- (Limited to curbside or in-store pickup or drop off)
• Manufacturing
• Wholesale Trade

Phase Two: 

• Professional Services
• Retail
• Administrative Support
• Real Estate / Rental & Leasing

Phase Three: 

• Restaurants / Food Services

Phase Four: 

• Arts / Entertainment / Recreation
• Education

The Finger Lakes Region is one of the first regions in the state to enter Phase One, and while each phase is generally expected to take four weeks, there is already talk of Finger Lakes entering Phase Two on May 29, Pettit indicated.

While experts debate just how many COVID-19 tests need to be administered on a daily basis to help control the spread of the disease in an open economy, there is consensus that a lot of testing is needed.

Petit expressed concern that there are not enough tests available in Genesee County to meet our needs. That means only people who meet the criteria for testing, such as close-contact with a positive case or a vulnerable person who is symptomatic, can get tests locally. However, he noted, there is an ample supply of tests available in Monroe County and local residents who want a test without meeting that criteria can drive to testing locations in the Rochester area.

The health director does have more confidence in the local capacity to handle contact tracing when a positive case is identified, which is another key strategy in helping to control outbreaks. Pettit said if there is a local spike in cases, New York has additional contract tracing resources local health officials can summon.

He also noted, for anybody looking for a job, that the state is looking to hire more contract tracers.

For those expecting a lull in the disease spread during the summer, before a resurgence in the fall, Pettit suggested we not count on much of a lull but expect a second wave in the fall or winter.

"When you look at the data in the Southern Hemisphere, which have been inverted with their summer, they still had a lot of cases," Pettit said. "They still had a lot of transmissions. So it's really hard to say how that's going to play out for us locally here in the summer, when that the warmer weather comes along. That's why we're really stressing the importance of making sure we stick with the guidelines. We don't want to see those spikes."

The seasonality of COVID-19, or lack of it, is just one of the things that are still unknown about the novel coronavirus.

"There's a lot to be learned about this virus, (there) is a lot that we're trying to understand as we move forward in time," Pettit said. "We obviously can only implement and act the way we're able to based on the knowledge that we have. So the best thing we can do is encourage folks to continue to practice social distancing and do their best to protect others by protecting themselves."

Town of Bergen State of Emergency Proclamation

The County of Genesee and the State of New York have declared States of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The outbreak poses an immediate danger to public health and safety, which endangers the residents and businesses of the Town of Bergen.

In consultation with the Village of Bergen and Bergen Fire Department, I believe it is in the best interest of the Town of Bergen and our residents/businesses for me to issue a State of Emergency in the Town of Bergen, which will allow me the discretion to use any and all facilities, equipment, supplies, personnel and other resources of the Town of Bergen in such a manner as may be necessary or appropriate to cope with the disaster or emergency resulting therefrom.

In particular, but with no limitation, I anticipate that it will be critical to have Town of Bergen personnel available to respond to specific, but currently unforeseen, needs arising in the Town.

Therefore, by the power vested in me, pursuant to Article 2B of the Executive Law of the State of New York, I hereby declare a State of Emergency effective at 5 p.m. on May 15, 2020 in the Town of Bergen, Genesee County, New York.

This State of Emergency shall remain in effect for the next 30 days unless and until rescinded or extended by me for an additional 30-day period.

Any residents in need of special or emergency assistance are advised to contact 9-1-1. All residents are advised to monitor the Town's website and local media reports for continued updates and advisories.

Ernest Haywood

Supervisor, Town of Bergen, Genesee County, NY

Some sort of parade through the city prompted police to respond after the Emergency Dispatch Center received complaints the participants were running red lights and blocking intersections.

Because of weather in the Southern Tier, the scheduled time for the Batavia flyover is approximately 11:45 a.m., giver or take 10 minutes, according to the National Warplane Museum.

It was supposed to take place at roughly 11:20 a.m. over the Batavia VA Medical Center, and at 11:24 at UMMC.

Photo: File photo of Whiskey 7 by Jim Burns.

A house fire with flames showing is reported at 6657 Swamp Road, Byron. Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding. The location is between Cole and Mud City roads.

Called as mutual aid are: Bergen, Elba, Stafford and Oakfield fire departments, along with the city's FAST Team and Mercy medics.

UPDATE 11:45 p.m.: A first responder on scene reports smoke is in the residence. Command restricts the assignment to Byron, South Byron, Bergen and Elba. Other mutual aid responders, which also included Perry and Clarendon, can go back in service.

UPDATE 11:48 p.m.: No smoke or fire visible outside the residence, according to command. Remaining responding units can proceed in nonemergency mode. National Grid is called to the scene.

UPDATE 11:52 p.m.: Infrared cameras are requested to the scene.

UPDATE 12:17 a.m.: Elba is released from service along with Mercy medics.

Press release:

The National Warplane Museum (NWM) in Geneseo is honoring WNY healthcare workers and first responders with two flyovers in Genesee County on Saturday, May 16.

At the Batavia VA Medical Center, the flyover will occur at 11:20 a.m. (give or take 10 minutes).

At United Memorial Medical Center, the flyover will occur at 11:24 a.m. (give or take 10 minutes).

"Operation Thanks From Above" will feature NWM's very own Douglas C-47, affectionately named "Whiskey 7," and it will take to the skies accompanied by one other aircraft, a P-51 Mustang named "Mad Max."

The flight will salute the local first responders, medical and essential workers who have served and conitue to serve the WNY region during the coronavirus pandemic.

We hope you can attend and view a flyover. VA medical and UMMC staff members working on Saturday have been notified. 

• Batavia viewing – in front of Building 1, near Outpatient Entrance, 222 Richmond Ave., Batavia.
• UMMC viewing is at 330 Summit St., Batavia.

Parking is plentiful and free.

#ROCTheSky

#ThanksFromAbove

Press release:

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County is pleased to partner with New York State Agriculture and Markets, CY Farms LLC, and Genesee County Farm Bureau to provide New York State hand sanitizer at no cost to the ag community in Genesee County.

Please register by 4 p.m. on Monday, May 18.

Distribution will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19 at the local Cornell Extension office, 420 E. Main St., Batavia.

Genesee County production farms of any type are encouraged to participate, along with farm stands, CSAs, greenhouses and U-pick operations.

The goal is to support safe and healthy workplace practices to keep our agriculture workforce strong.

Liquid hand sanitizer is available by the case -- 4 gallons to a case (with a pump). This is a liquid, not a gel.

For ease of use, businesses may decide to purchase small spray bottles for daily use and refill them from the gallon jug.

Please note that this is a 75-percent alcohol-based liquid gel. It is highly flammable. Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking. It is not drinkable.

Farms interested in picking up hand sanitizer should complete the online registration here.

Include farm contact information, requested quantity and time slot for pick up (to limit wait times and traffic). 

Quantities may be adjusted before pick up to ensure adequate supplies are available to as many farms as possible.

Details for picking up:

• Stay in your vehicle and wait for a staff member to direct you to the pick-up area;
• Whoever is picking up the sanitizer for your farm will need to wear their own face covering and load the cases of sanitizer into their vehicle;
• If you are getting more than one case, consider bringing a handcart;
• Please maintain social distancing when picking up;
• Staff will need to collect some information from you before you can pick up the sanitizer.

Supplies are limited.

The suggested guidelines for each farm are:

• 1-6 employees: 1 case
• 7-15 employees: 2 cases
• 15 plus: 3 – 4 cases

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley has signed a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo asking him to reconsider allowing religious institutions to open and host services earlier than previously indicated.

With Western New York leading the charge to reopen the state, Hawley understands the value these religious institutions have to the community, and how supportive it can be knowing these institutions are readily available.

“If we follow the proper procedures – adequate distancing, wearing face coverings, and remaining hygienic – I think these institutions, should they choose, ought to be able to conduct services,” Hawley said. “The good spiritual health of a community can help make this transition a lot smoother for everyone.”