Afternoon News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on November 6, 2020
Western Ny York is a problem, says governor Cuomo as the 7 day rolling average for the region has gone up to 2.8 percent. Cuomo also says that he is working with local leaders to develop a micro cluster strategy to bring the numbers down. The highest density of cases are in Buffalo, Hamburg, Tonawanda and Orchard Park. Cuomo will make an announcement Monday about a micro-cluster strategy that is tailored to the particulars of the area. Monroe County and Onondaga County will also be designated as micro-clusters. There is a color coded zoning strategy going from yellow to red and Cuomo did not say which color thee counties would be in. Cuomo also said that it would be irresponsible to allow fans back into Bills stadium.
COVID Update: From 4pm yesterday Genesee county had 10 new cases and 6 people have recovered. 15 new people are on travel quarantine. There is no separating whether they are doing the 3 day quarantine or the 14 day quarantine in the numbers. Orleans county has 6 new cases and 1 person has recovered. 15 new people are on the travel quarantine list. The health department reports that there is a COVID positive student at Batavia high school but no impact on the student body is expected. There is 1 new positive case in alexander middle/ high school and contact tracing is under way. There are 43 active cases in Genesee county, which is a new high since April 10th, and 19 in Orleans.
Governor Cuomo has announced that the period where expired licenses are still valid will be extended to December 3rd. This is for driver’s licenses only, as the extension that had been in effect for vehicle registrations and inspections since March has ended. Officials say don’t wait, get your license renewed as soon as possible.
The State Education Commissioner says students across New York won’t be taking any Regents exams in January. The decision to scrap the tests was made due to lingering concerns over COVID-19. The Education Department says the current learning requirements will be modified so students can still earn their diplomas. There’s no word yet if the Regents exams will be held in June or August of next year.
This could be the longest string of 60 degree plus days in November in the last 80 years for western NY. If the weather holds for 7 total days it will break the record set in 1938.
If you want to do a sun salutation to celebrate the summerlike weather on Saturday in centennial park you can sign up to do a yoga class. One last yoga in the park is scheduled for tomorrow at 9am. The event is free but organizers ask you to bring a food item, perishable or non perishable, to help with a food drive for the little free pantry and fridge. You can register for the event by following the link on wbtai.com.
