Coronavirus (COVID-19) - April 3, 2020 Update

Please visit https://www.henrietta.org/covid for the latest updates.

Corona Virus Update – April 3, 2020

With the onset of the larger social distancing restrictions, the Town has settled into more of a steady state, however, there have been some recent changes that I want to update folks on.

The Town has, wherever possible, split each department team up into two crews and they are alternating working: one crew works on week one while the other crew is at home and then on week two, they switch. I chose to alternate by weeks so that people are not sharing the same vehicles or touching the same surfaces. The transition then happens over a weekend, so in addition to doing a wipe down at the end of the work week, it provides an additional three days in case there’s any lingering virus present.  The obvious ramification of this is that our workforce is at about half strength.  Not all departments and not all employees are able to split their teams due to a continued strong workload, but for those teams, we are trying to have at least half of their team work from home, if that is possible.

This is obviously something that none of us have ever gone through before.  I thank all of the employees for their efforts in what can be a scary time.  We’re in the public and whereas we’ve largely closed operations and provided a means for people to make payments or get us paperwork through a drop box, we’re still out and about, whereas a lot of people are home, more isolated than we are.  We aren’t the only ones, obviously. There are many people in essential jobs who are also out in public and some, especially first responders and health care professionals, are even more in harm’s way with respect to this virus.

I want to thank everyone who must continue to come to work because their work is essential for the rest of us. This includes the Town employees who must either provide an essential service or who support other essential services in the community.  I also want to thank everyone who is staying home, minimizing contact, and maintaining social distancing, because that is crucial for us getting through this pandemic while working to minimize fatalities. It is essential that we keep the number of simultaneous cases down low enough that people who fall critically ill to this disease will be able to have access to the limited supply of ventilators or respirators so that they can hopefully pull through. It is essential we do not overwhelm our hospital systems.

When you look at the numbers right now, while the US has the most cases in the world, we also have a much lower mortality rate (2.5%) than the rest of the world (5.7%).  Now we’re also a little bit earlier in the whole cycle compared to other parts of the world, but a big part of that lower mortality rate has been the response in the harder hit states moving quickly to try to limit the spread so that we have sufficient hospital beds and we have sufficient respirators and ventilators for those who need it. 

The area in New York State that I have the most concern for is New York City because of its population density.  When you think about the number of people the average New Yorker contacts between when they leave their house and they get to work, it’s significantly larger than the same case for somebody in Rochester or in Henrietta.  It’s not surprising that the vast majority of the cases are in the New York City area and I hope that the measures that they’re taking and the Governor has put forth helps control this pandemic because it’s a scary thing.  It has a higher mortality rate than our seasonal flus, especially for those who are in the more vulnerable populations. 

We’ll continue to do everything we can.  We realize it creates some inconveniences as well as some financial hardships, but we must remember that construction projects can be resumed, economies can be rebuilt, lost wages can be recovered, but people cannot be brought back from the grave.  We need to minimize as many deaths as we possibly can.

Some specific notes and actions:

The Memorial Day Parade scheduled for May 17^th has been canceled. We are looking at the possibility of incorporating the parade at a later event or scheduling it for a later date.

The Town is holding a Blood Drive on April 14^th from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Recreation Center to support the Red Cross. Whereas a lot of things have been delayed or put on hold, the need for blood has not and there is a critical shortage right now. The beds will be well spread out throughout the gym floor and symptom testing will be performed prior to donating. The drive is by appointment only. To make an appointment, please use the Red Cross App or go to www.redcrossblood.org and enter henriettarecreationcenterhenrietta as the code. There may be limited availability for walk-in during the time of the event, but please call ahead at 585-359-2540 to ensure there are available beds. Note that this phone is to check for walk-in only, not to make appointments. All appointments must be made through Red Cross.

While the Henrietta Public Library was forced to stop its grab-n-go book service, they are now offering online story times and other programming. Please visit their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HenriettaPublicLibrary) or website (https://www.hpl.org/) for more information.

Our Town Playgrounds are CLOSED. We are keeping the Town Parks open, but the playgrounds, cabins, and restrooms are closed. We do not have a means to bar access to the playgrounds so we must rely on residents respecting the closing and to not use them for fear of spreading the disease. The same holds true for any exercise equipment on the fitness trail or our sports courts in the parks. We have left them open because we know some families, who are already in close contact with each other, have been using them to get some exercise. But we request that people refrain from group activities that might spread the virus further – you are not just putting yourself at risk; you are also putting at risk anyone you meet.

The County just closed all Dog Parks in Monroe County, so this includes the dog park in Henrietta.

The deadline for the third property tax installment has been extended to April 30^th, 2020. The 3% interest rate will be held for all payments made by that date. Please call 359-7035 from 9-5, email townclerk@henrietta.org, or visit www.monroecounty.gov to verify the amount due.

We continue to use Facebook Live to broadcast our public meetings as well as have a call-in number for specific comments. We are setting up a teleconference number so that those who do not have access to online can call in and listen. Public comments can be submitted by typing during the live broadcast or by calling the phone-in number or by speaking on the teleconference, once that is set up. We ask that once we have the teleconference set up, that if you participate, you mute your phone when not talking.

At the same time, we are working to minimize our public meetings, trying to postpone items that do not need immediate resolution. However, there are occasionally items that do need to be addressed. There will be a Town Board Meeting on Wednesday, April 8th at 7:00 PM. We will again have a sign language interpreter at the meeting so for anyone in the Deaf or hard-of-hearing community, we invite you to participate in the live stream. Our newer live streaming equipment has not arrived yet, so please bear with the level of quality we can provide currently. We know it is not the best, but we are working on it. In order to minimize the number of times we will meet, we have canceled the Town Board Workshop Meeting for Monday and will just conduct any items from the workshop at the Town Board Meeting. It is a short agenda, just the two time-critical resolutions plus a few others that we are better off doing now.

The Henrietta Senior Center continues to operate as one of the grab-and-go meal sites for Rush-Henrietta students. In addition, we are still accepting donations of non-perishable food items, which we will disinfect the packaging and provide to the RHAFT food cupboard for distribution. If you need supplemental meal assistance, please call RHAFT at 453-2370. If you are a senior in need of supplemental meals, please call the Senior Center at (585) 334-4030 to arrange for participation in the program.

Reminder: expirations for dog licenses have been “extended,” meaning there will be no penalty for not renewing your dog license for any that expire on or after February 29th. However, if you would like to renew, you can do so through our website, via mail, or via our drop box in the lobby, as long as you still have a valid rabies vaccine. If your rabies vaccine has expired, you will need to wait until you can get the vaccine (many veterinarian offices are closed except for emergency services) and present it. When the doors open back up, we will give everyone 30-days to get their expired licenses up to date.

Reminder: The Recreation Center, Library, Senior Center, Tinker Museum, and Hansen Nature Center will be closed until further notice and all programming activity is suspended, including preschool, youth and adult programs, gym and room reservations, pickleball, walking track and open gym. While we know this will present an inconvenience, we are working towards slowing the spread of the Coronavirus and will also be working to offer some services through alternative means.

Reminder: The Town Court remains closed until further notice. Anyone with an upcoming court date will be notified of the new dates once the Court reopens.

The schedule of upcoming public meetings are as follows:

Town Board –the meeting for April 8^th at 7:00 PM will be held via Facebook live. A sign language interpreter will be provided. The Workshop meeting for the 6^th has been canceled. All Special Use Permit applications were postponed so there will be no Special Permit Meeting prior to the Town Board Meeting on the 8^th. The meeting on the 22^nd will most likely be similar to that for the 8^th – a short agenda with no workshop meeting prior.

Planning Board – the meeting for April 14^th has been canceled. The meeting April 29^th does have essential business so will be held. Note this meeting was moved to a Wednesday since originally the Tuesday was the primary elections, although those have since been postponed until June.

Conservation Board – the meeting for April 7^th has been canceled as all applicants have postponed.

Historic Site Committee – all meetings have been postponed until Public Hearings are allowed again.

Please visit the Town’s Facebook page for the live streams (https://www.facebook.com/TownOfHenrietta/).

Community Notice: Victory Church has notified the Town that their notices for Easter Worship Service were sent via bulk mail from before the change in social distancing. They had tried to recall them but they were already in the system. If you receive one please note that the congregation is holding online church services only, via livestream. Please spread the word to your fellow parishioners.

Again, this is a rapidly changing and evolving situation. Expect more changes on a regular basis.

The best way to prevent acquiring COVID-19 is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends everyday preventative actions to help minimize the spread of respiratory viruses, including practicing “social distancing” if possible.

The CDC suggests:

• wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water is not available.
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• stay home when sick, especially if medication is needed throughout the day.
• Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

People who think they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should contact their health care provider.

Here are some resources with information regarding this evolving situation:

Town of Henrietta Coronavirus Updates: https://www.henrietta.org/covid

Monroe County Coronavirus Resources: https://www2.monroecounty.gov/health-coronavirus

Frequently Asked Questions by the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html

New York State Department of Health: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/

Monroe County Health Department has a CoronaVirus Hotline at (585) 753-5555.

In addition, New York has established a Novel Coronavirus Hotline, which can provide additional information. Call 1-888-364-3065 with questions about travel and symptoms.