Local Emergency Manager issues safety reminder
Town of Newstead/Village of Akron Emergency Manager, Dan Kowalik, has issued a safety reminder to local residents to follow all CDC Guidelines, as well as the Halloween guidelines issued by the CDC. “Our community has done very well during these changing times, and I am sure we all would like to keep it that way.”
In an update to the Akron/Newstead COVID-19 response team, Kowalik noted that there is no reason to be scared, however, caution is advised as confirmed cases are increasing around us, and in the 14001 zip code there have been 7 cases in the the last week, which is the most 1 week increase since Mid-June.
Kowalik also shared the following information:
COVID-19 Client Update 10/28/2020
Health and Safety Policy compliance
The number of positive COVID-19 tests in Western New York has recently increased as of Monday’s data, to a rate of 2.6 – 3.0%, depending on the source. As well, coronavirus hospitalizations have increased again in WNY, to 86 in recent days- the highest number since mid-June. It is imperative that our businesses remain diligent in stopping the spread of the virus in our workplaces and continue to comply with the Health and Safety plans we developed and distributed to our employees in the Spring of this year.
Your Safety and Health plan should be revisited regularly and updated as new CDC guidance or NY state executive orders are issued.
On October 21, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) expanded the definition of “close contact.” Previously, the CDC defined close contact as spending 15 consecutive minutes within six feet of a person with a confirmed coronavirus case starting 2 days before the illness onset, or for asymptomatic persons, starting 2 days prior to the positive specimen collection. The updated guidance now defines a close contact as spending 15 minutes total with an infected individual over the course of a 24-hour period during the same exposure period (2 days prior to illness onset or positive specimen collection). For instance, if a person has three five minute encounters with someone with a confirmed COVID-19 case over the course of 24 hours, then they will be considered to have been in close contact with that person. This can have significant impact to how we interact with others in our workplaces. Mask wearing, maintaining social distancing, and continuing to follow recommended hygiene practices are more important than ever.
The CDC’s updated guidance can be found here:
Flu Season and COVID-19
Also be mindful that the flu season is upon us, further complicating how we treat absences due to employee illnesses. On October 6, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated it’s The Difference between the Flu and COVID-19 webpage and addresses the following:
- Signs and symptoms;
- How long symptoms appear after exposure and infection;
- How long someone can spread the virus;
- How it spreads;
- People at high-risk for severe illness;
- Complications;
- Approved treatments; and
- Vaccine.
Similarities:
Both COVID-19 and flu can have varying degrees of signs and symptoms, ranging from no symptoms (asymptomatic) to severe symptoms. Common symptoms that COVID-19 and flu share include:
- Fever or feeling feverish/chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle pain or body aches
- Headache
- Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults
Differences:
Flu: Flu viruses can cause mild to severe illness, including common signs and symptoms listed above.
COVID-19: COVID-19 seems to cause more serious illnesses in some people. Other signs and symptoms of COVID-19, different from flu, may include change in or loss of taste or smell.
Visit the CDC page for more information: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm
NY State Travel Restrictions
The most recent list of restricted travel states was published at 3:00 pm on October 27th. The states included are:
| Alabama | Illinois | Montana | South Dakota |
| Alaska | Indiana | Nebraska | Tennessee |
| Arizona | Iowa | Nevada | Texas |
| Arkansas | Kansas | New Mexico | Utah |
| California | Kentucky | North Carolina | Virginia |
| Colorado | Louisiana | North Dakota | West Virginia |
| Delaware | Maryland | Ohio | Wisconsin |
| Florida | Michigan | Oklahoma | Wyoming |
| Georgia | Minnesota | Puerto Rico | |
| Guam | Mississippi | Rhode Island | |
| Idaho | Missouri | South Carolina |
Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey are currently experiencing test rates that exceed the NY State threshold for allowing unrestricting travel. However, NY has acknowledged there would be significant challenges and impact on businesses if those 3 states were added to this list. Therefore, at this time there is no requirement that travelers from PA, CT or NJ self-quarantine for 14 days after returning to NY state.
Additionally, State University of New York students will have to test negative for coronavirus before heading home for Thanksgiving as the majority of campuses go remote for the remainder of the semester, SUNY officials announced Tuesday. The testing policy will apply to all 140,000 students who are taking classes or working on one of the 64 SUNY campuses as well as those who frequent gyms, libraries or dining halls on school grounds.