Governor Cuomo Press Briefing
- The Governor announced this afternoon that there are now 75,795 confirmed COVID-19 positive cases in New York State, and 43,139 confirmed cases in New York City. There have been 1,550 deaths from COVID-19 in the state.
- The Governor announced that his brother Christopher Cuomo has tested positive for CORVID-19.
- The State is creating a Central Coordinating Team lead by the NYS Department of Health, which will organize upstate-to-downstate staffing needs, patient transfers between hospitals, and patient transfers to the USNS Comfort. The State will ask upstate hospital staff to be transferred downstate to help with the influx of patients.
- The Governor said that based on five different models the state is expecting the apex to occur between 7 and 21 days from now.
- The Governor is sending a letter to all hospitals today requesting information on the amount of supplies each site has in stock.
- The State has ordered 17,000 ventilators from China, but only has a firm commitment for 2,500. The Governor expects them to be delivered over the next couple of weeks.
- The State’s unemployment system is overwhelmed with the amount of calls coming in requesting benefits. Budget Director Robert Mujica said on a normal week NYS Department of Labor receives 50,000 calls, but just yesterday they received 1.2 million calls. He said hundreds of state employees and outside companies are working on fixing it.
NYS Budget
- FINAL BUDGET BILLS – Early this morning the Legislature introduced two Article VII budget bills: Revenue and Public Protection/General Government (PPGG). All appropriation bills and three Article VII bills remain to be released. It is unclear at this time when both Houses will reconvene to begin passage of budget bills. The deadline for an on-time budget is tomorrow, April 1.
- Included in the PPGG bill is a provision that rolls back expanded employee voting opportunities during work hours. Last year’s budget expanded the time off allowed to employees from two to three hours during their shifts. This year, that has been rolled back to two hours and makes it dependent on not having time before or after work to vote. If you would like the language sent to you please contact us.
New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics
- In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, JCOPE is further extending the filing deadline for all Lobbying filings (including the January/February 2020 Lobbyist Bi-Monthly Reports) until April 15.
New York City
- New York City has launched an engagement portal for New Yorkers to report information to help the City better understand and communicate about the impacts of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Up-To-Date Guidance
- NYS Department Financial Services:
- NYS Workers Compensation Board: Emergency Adoption of Amendment to 12 NYCRR 355.9 (COVID-19 serious health condition)
- NYS Department of Health: COVID-19 Telephonic and Telehealth Services Available to Statewide Adult Day Health Care Program Services
- NYS Education Department: Clarification on 180-day Requirements in Light of Executive Orders
- NYS Courts System: Chief Judge DiFiore Letter on Court Proceedings
- Empire State Development:
- There have been no changes to this guidance since our last update.
- New York City: Agency Suspensions and Reductions
- There have been no changes since our last update.
Attached please find a comprehensive document with guidance from across government agencies. We will be updating this document as information becomes available and including it in our daily updates.
In addition to our regular email updates, Ostroff Associates has established two dedicated webpages that will be updated in real time with any new information from government sources relating to COVID-19. Please use these websites as a resource and share with others who would benefit.
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