Mayor’s Latest Message on Virus
As of March 30, 33 Rye City residents have tested positive for COVID-19. Westchester County is up to 9,326 cases, with 19 fatalities. We mourn each loss, while being grateful that there are still relatively few.
As more people test positive, the official mechanism for tracing back the recent contacts of those carrying COVID-19 may be falling behind. As a result, we must ask those who have tested positive and remain well enough to do so to please share their news to the extent they can with people they have come in contact with in recent days to help slow the spread of the virus.
Social distancing remains an issue. Please do the one single thing that every physician on TV tells us is our best collective defense: Maintain social distance! If the path is too narrow, walk on the grass!
Relatedly, the City has kept Rye Golf Club open, subject to social distancing directives. As social distancing is not being observed on the practice putting green, however, we are obliged to close it. We hope not to have to consider further facility closure.
Rye Town Park is also asking for greater cooperation in social distancing and will have to consider an undesirable negative decision if that cooperation is not apparent.
Per NYS directive, construction is being shut down as non-essential. Our Buildings Department is working with contractors to get building sites closed in the course of the week with as little harm to the projects underway as possible. This is yet another hardship for residents, contractors, and workers. Please direct any questions to the Building Department, building@ryeny.gov.
I am pleased to report that most of us adapted immediately to the new garbage/recycling collection schedule. Those who missed a step typically caught up by dropping bagged garbage in the truck parked for this purpose weekday mornings by the Disbrow recycling center. A small group (but still too many), however, buried our recycling center in garbage over the weekend. This surprised me. I was even more surprised to learn that a smaller number of people regularly do this in regular times. It seems there is consistent dumping of garbage at the recycling center. Friends, this is not okay. It is not okay to demand that our hard working DPW people clean up after us like this during normal circumstances, let alone when we are so strained. Protecting our staff against this will inevitably mean sacrificing some degree of convenience for the vast majority of residents who don’t dump.
I know how hard it is for everyone doing their best to stay at home. Our not-for-profits may be able to help. Many in our array of not-for-profits serving all age groups and interests are expanding their online presences to support us now. Enjoy their services and remember to support them. We need these organizations with us as good as before, when we have put COVID-19 behind us.
As before, stay strong. There’s still a bumpy road ahead, but it will get better.
Mayor Josh Cohn
