Stop The Internets - Quinn's Will Reopen, But With New Rules: Admission Price & Proof of Vaxx

Photo Credit:

The subject line of Quinn’s press release announcing their reopening (again) had a kicker at the end of it: “Joe McPhee 82nd Birthday Kicks Off Return of Live Music at Quinn's in Beacon NY (We Mean It This Time!)” Very cute and real, as everyone flows with the pandemic times.

Days before most people woke up to the raging Delta variant, Quinn’s had announced an aggressive lineup of long awaited jazz performances, including a clever “Joevember” themed month of November featuring musicians named Joe.

Shortly after that, Quinn’s announced a last call for a pause on their being open at all. In that time, the parklets (outside dining on the street) had been picked up, and their loyal customers began dreaming of ways to help them reopen.

This week’s reopening announcement will come with a sigh of relief, but it also comes with a new set of directions: live performances now require an admission price to enter; and there’s a new definition of getting carded - Quinn’s is carding for proof of vaccination. Masks will also be required for admission during all live performances.

Quinn’s will be open for food dining during non-performance days as well. Check with them for latest hours and days.

Quinn’s is the second restaurant (that we know of) to require proof of vaccination. The Roundhouse in Beacon has also imposed this rule, which begins today. All restaurants, bars and gyms in New York City are also requiring proof of vaccination, as are Broadway theaters. The Los Angeles City Council voted to require vaccinations for restaurants, bars, gyms, shopping centers, entertainment venues, and personal care establishments.

Normally, during a pause in a performance, band members go around the restaurant with a donation box, hoping people will give cash. With this new policy, performers are guaranteed a payment. Initiating the new policy, read the press release, “will be a celebration of the 82nd birthday of our dear friend, Hudson Valley legend and internationally recognized multi-instrumental titan, Joe McPhee (pictured above), on his actual birthday: Wednesday, November 3 at 8:30 PM. Admission for this very special event will be $20.”

The next performance will be the iconic Beacon punk band Ate Bit, with special guest Social Standards opening. Making it up as they go along (which is the beauty of running your own business), is a twist to “Joevember” with two musicians not named Joe scheduled to perform: Jessica Jones and Tony Jones on November 15th.

From the press release: “Highlights of Saturday night concerts include a devastating one-two punch from one of our favorite Beacon bands, Knock Yourself Out. First, on Second Saturday, November 13, we present KYO Surfers, featuring members of Knock Yourself Out, Dirt Bikes, and The Nighttimes performing songs by the infamous Texas psych-punk band Butthole Surfers — then, on Saturday, December 18, KYO bids us all farewell with their final performance, joined by special guest musicians Mimi Sun Longo, Daria Grace, Jonny Taylor, and Ken Fox. Other Saturday highlights include the bands 100 and Zero with opener Wall of Ego on November 20, and another Hudson Valley legend, DJ Bill Skillz, brings his Diggin' in the Crates Radio Roadshow back into Quinn's during Thanksgiving weekend on November 27.”

The upcoming schedule is listed below, but do check first before going, as dates and status could change.

MONDAY JAZZ SESSIONS (except for Wednesday 11/3):
8:30 PM EACH NIGHT, $15 CASH ADMISSION

NOVEMBER
11/3 Joe McPhee 82nd Birthday Celebration
11/8 Joe Giardullo w/ Vance Provey, Billy Stein and Harvey Sorgen
11/15 Jessica Jones/Tony Jones and Friends
11/22 Joe Fiedler's Open Sesame "Fuzzy and Blue" Record Release Party, w/ Jeff Lederer, Steven Bernstein, Sean Conly and Michael Sarin
11/29 Joseph Vincent Tranchina w/ Robert Kopec and Don Devine

DECEMBER
12/6 Mike Dopazo
12/13 Eric Person's Music of Ronald Shannon Jackson Project w/ Neil Alexander, Robert Kopec and Dean Sharp
12/20 Karl Berger & Friends

JANUARY
1/10 Iris Ornig
1/17 MLK Day 2022 Celebration w/ Ray Blue

SATURDAY NIGHT CONCERTS:
9 PM EACH NIGHT, $10 CASH ADMISSION (except for 11/27)

NOVEMBER
11/6 Ate Bit/Social Standards
11/13 KYO Surfers: Music of Butthole Surfers
11/20 100 and Zero/Wall of Ego
11/27 DJ Bill Skillz' Diggin' in the Crates Radio Roadshow (holiday open house — no cover, donations requested)

DECEMBER
12/18 Knock Yourself Out Farewell Performance, w/ Mimi Sun Longo, Daria Grace, Jonny Taylor, and Ken Fox

CDC Issues Mask, Re-Opening, and Safety Guidance For Kids In School For 2021/2022 School Year

The CDC has released their guidance on re-opening schools for grades K-12, as well as on mask wearing. The CDC wants schools to fully re-open in person, and for people not vaccinated to wear masks. Those who are fully vaccinated are guided to use their discretion on if they want to wear a mask. Stores, restaurants and other places of business continue to have the choice to set their own preference for their customers. The news was early reported by editors on LinkedIn.

Said the CDC: “Students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction in the fall 2021 is a priority. Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoting vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports.”

Being that the Biden Administration has been extremely supportive of spreading the message of safety, as well as distributing federal funding to ensure that safety, a new level of trusts exists within the North American public, as opposed to last year at this time during this re-opening debate, coupled with high case and death numbers, was higher. For example, see how Brazilian eviction refugees are faring without federal support.

It is important to remember that in countries with low vaccination rates, and low trust issues for their governments, such as Brazil and India, case and death numbers continue to be high. Many people continue to die per day in India. Reporters from India, one of whom lost her father to the virus, have long speculated that several deaths are going uncounted, especially in rural areas.

The CDC recommends masks for kids age 2 and older. Mainly, the CDC is recommending to layer safety provisions in case masks are not possible. The “CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking.

Ventilation, cleaning and screening are still highly recommended. “Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.”

The CDC implores people to stay home when feeling sick. “Students, teachers, and staff should stay home when they have signs of any infectious illness and be referred to their healthcare provider for testing and care.” In order for this to happen, employers are going to need to be more forgiving when people stay home for mild symptoms.

For jobs that can take to the road on a laptop or phone, this will be a bit easier. For those who need to cook for or serve people, this will be more difficult without compensation.

For those who worked toll booths, this would have been hard, but now all tolls are electronic on the Beacon/Newburgh Bridge, and those jobs have been eliminated. Two weeks ago, we asked one toll booth collector if the state was finding them a new job. Their answer: “I have to find my own new job.”

Perhaps these workers can be paid to be trained to work computers that send out letters to chase people who lose the toll bill in the mail, and ultimately will be charged a fine. Then they can stay home when feeling mild symptoms and still get paid to work.

PS: If you are or were employed as a toll collector, please contact ALBB to let us know if your job was saved by way of being reassigned, or if you lost your job. What was the process?

New York State Said N/A, But 38 States Said Yes To Extended Cocktails To-Go + Wine Bottle Sales For Restaurants

New York’s cocktails-to-go rule, which included bottles of wine being sold from restaurants, and freshly packaged cocktails being sold from bars and restaurants, disappeared with 24 hours notice once Governor Cuomo decided that New York’s State of Emergency was over, which sunset many remaining rules that hadn’t been protected beforehand, such as the alcohol-to-go rule.

This formerly unthinkable privilege helped many restaurants survive the economic shutdown, and customers loved it. New York state is already known for several restrictions on wine sales, and opening up this one was a shock to the restaurant industry, but a welcome one. So much so, that 78% of New Yorkers surveyed by the New York State Restaurant Association said they support making the move permanent.

Restaurant businesses like Homespun in Beacon, owned by Joe Robitaille, a sommelier, had bought months before the pandemic was declared and restaurant operations were mandated in a stop-and-go fashion. “We put together our wine shop knowing that the state would end this privilege at some point, but did not expect to have 24 hours notice that we couldn’t sell bottles of wine to bring home anymore. I am sitting on cases of inventory of very hard-to-find wine that I cannot sell.”

Bottles of wine accounted for about 12% of Homespun’s sales, including the pickup, patio, parklet, catering, and eventual indoor dining. Restaurants in New York City are also reeling, as they and others spent the past 15 months accumulating inventory. Judy’s, a restaurant in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, has $15,000 worth of inventory that cannot be sold, as reported by Eater.

Joe is going to sell his wine by the glass as best he can. It will be the most amazing by-the-glass wine you have ever been offered by a small cafe.

Did The 24-hour Cut-Off Need To Be? The Flash Sale Of The Century Of Restaurant’s Wine Bottles?

Did it need to be this way? Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro, who ran for governor against Governor Cuomo, says no. And he thinks that the State Liquor Authority is outdated as well. He told A Little Beacon Blog: “Counties across the state learned about the end of the State of Emergency by a tweet from the Governor. There was no coordination.” Molinaro continued: “Certainly we wanted to see an end to the emergency powers, but with a transition, for this very reason, we would have advocated for businesses. For economic relief for the for relief orders that stood. Plus, some people are not comfortable coming out yet, and prefer to eat and drink from their favorite restaurants at home.”

Molinaro feels that more local control should be given to counties. “For instance,” he explained, “in Dutchess County, I don't have the ability to override a State Order. But I can, through an Emergency Order, waive local law. Like with outdoor dining. Just this week, I talked with city managers across all municipalities about extending outdoor dining (via parklets) until Labor Day, to help the restaurants.”

Does the County Executive want to see the to-go alcohol extended for bottles of wine and freshly made cocktails? “I’d like to see how our businesses feel. I personally have no objection. I'm 100% supportive of extending it. I don't object to permanent, but I think there ought to be a process.”

In New York City, Mayor De Blasio was surprised by his own opinion: “It actually worked pretty well—I don't blame anyone who thought it might be a little dicey, but it actually worked pretty well," he told Gothamist. "I am concerned about all the restaurants and bars that we want to survive as part of the life of this city," he added. "So I think that should be looked at, to see if there's some way to appropriately continue it at least for the foreseeable future while we're trying to bring back hospitality industry."

The National Trend In Legalizing To-Go Cocktails and Bottles Of Wine Sold From Restaurants

Back at Homespun, as Joe taped his Cuomo-inspired 15% off sign to his sidewalk board, hoping to sell as many bottles as he could in 24 hours, he mused: “Massachusetts just last week announced that they would extend these measures through March 2022 to give restaurants and bars a chance to recover.”

Indeed, Massachusetts did extend, but this was after vocal opposition from trade groups representing liquor stores. As reported by CNBC, “Robert Mellion, executive director and general counsel of the Massachusetts Package Store Association, wrote in a Boston Herald column that altering alcohol laws would impact public safety and hurt brick-and-mortar retailers. On Wednesday (May 26, 2021), the Massachusetts Senate rejected extending the cocktails to-go program, which [was] set to expire on June 15.”

Just a week and a half later, on June 8, Massachusetts reversed course and extended alcohol-to-go until March 2022. And they aren’t alone: 38 states in the nation have extended their alcohol-to-go privileges, according to Food and Wine. So far, 11 states have made their pandemic-inspired privileges permanent, with Texas and Florida being the latest to sign permanent legislation, according to the Distilled Spirits Council as reported by Food and Wine. Other states offering permanent alcohol-to-go sales include Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Montana, Arkansas, West Virginia, Georgia, and Oklahoma, as well as the District of Columbia.

Extending The Law Was Tried In New York, But No Answer

In March 2021, an attempt to prolong alcohol-to-go was made by Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, who sponsored Bill A3116 to lengthen alcohol-to-go services for 2 years. According to News10, restaurants supported the extension, but Fahy said there had been pushback from liquor stores and distributors. According to The New York Times, blame was put on the Legislature: “The Legislature failed to codify the ability of restaurants to offer alcohol to-go,” New York State’s Liquor Authority said in an emailed statement to The New York Times, referring to legislation to extend the takeout alcohol that state lawmakers did not act on before their session ended this month (June). Lawmakers return in January 2022.

Who Is To Blame, Anyway? How Does The Law Change?

Said Joe of Homespun, as he added the words “Cinderella Sale On Wine! Ends At Midnight!” to an Instagram post: “The Governor and Legislature did not seem to consult with any meaningful group of independent restaurants on their decision, because if they had, there would have been chatter and anxiety about this in the weeks leading up. But it was like turning off a light. Sudden.”

The state legislature would have needed to make the change with a bill, which was proposed and died. Governor Cuomo had been extending the alcohol-to-go privilege every 14 days. Could he have made the alcohol-to-go rule permanent? Was the blame entirely with the legislature? Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro does not think so. He explained to A Little Beacon Blog: “What the New York State Liquor Authority is saying in that New York Times quote is: If the governor advised the Legislature that the order was going to be rescinded, and wanted the state Legislature to do that, he would have done that. This is as much the fault of the Administration as it is the Legislature. If they both wanted it to happen, it would have happened. The Governor would have told them: ‘You’ll want to consider this local law, because ultimately, I'm going to rescind.’ There has been so much delay on the lifting of the State of Emergency, the Legislature may have gone on recess because they didn't think a sunset would happen yesterday. But they are in the same building. This email statement from the New York State’s Liquor Authority implies they are on different planets. But in fact, they are in the same building.”

Melissa Fleischut, president of the New York State Restaurant Association, shares the sentiment, about how legislation supported by 78% of New Yorkers - that Bill A3116 from Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy - failed to pass. Melissa told Eater: “Only in New York would elected officials ignore an overwhelming majority of the public.” Eater observed: “…legislation has reportedly been tied up by lobbyists, who claim wine and liquor businesses — coming off one of their best years in recent history — are losing money to restaurants and bars offering booze to-go.”

Would Wine Bottles Sold In Restaurants Impact Neighboring Wine and Liquor Stores?

With the several of the same beer brands sold in neighboring gas stations in Beacon and other towns, and a growing selection of craft beers at that, it is hard to say how increased competition would fare. Oftentimes, wines sold in restaurants are carefully picked, almost obsessively chosen and researched brands, as they are in boutique wine stores. Owners have to pine for each case they buy, because quantities are limited. The same can happen with craft beers that are produced in small batches.

In Beacon, the wine store and restaurant owners are pals. Steve Ventura, owner of Dirty Bacchus, Beacon’s newest highly niche wine store with bottles from far corners of Etruscan regions, still buys wine from Joe’s collection at Homespun.

“I support Joe for many reasons,” Steve told A Little Beacon Blog. “Not least because of all the hurdles that have been raised in front of his project since the beginning. From all the construction around him to COVID-19. So my feelings about this are specific to Homespun and not general statements. Joe is also a big supporter of other businesses in the community, so it is important for the community to support him. We, Beacon, need him to succeed, even if it pulls a little business from my bottom line for awhile.”

Proof In The Profit Of Cocktails-To-Go: POOF, Bye Bye

“Hard liquor is the most profitable thing in a restaurant,” said Brianne McDowell, a Beaconite and career manager of a boutique hotel servicing many celebrities in New York City, until she was laid off during the pandemic, losing her benefits and health insurance for her family that includes an elementary school student. During her career, she has been part of opening and training teams for new restaurants in many cities, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami. Now she takes gigs filling in as a General Manager as favors for friends who can’t find anyone to hire during the current hiring climate, where people are demanding better pay and benefits from the hospitality industry. With her own career in transition, she is stepping into a consulting role to give her more flexibility than her previous hotel and restaurant life.

“One or two drinks can pay for an entire bottle for the most part,” estimates Brianne. “For the entire bottle, a bartender can pour 16 drinks from it. Depending on the practices of each establishment, it’s typically 1.5 ounces of liquor for a mixed drink and about 3 ounces for martinis. So you have a bottle of vodka that cost the business owner about $12. They turn around and charge $12 for a drink (definitely Beacon prices). The bottle is pure profit from there. You’re paying for rent, labor, supplies, etc. when you buy a drink. To-go drinks were helping 100%.”

Brian Arnoff, owner of Meyers Olde Dutch and Kitchen Sink across the street, who has become known for specialty cocktails, is disappointed by the decision. “I am definitely disappointed that they are not continuing this policy. It will have some impact on our business. Personally I think it only proved that we should have much less restrictive policies around selling alcohol, businesses should be able to try new and creative approaches to serving their customers, business owners should be left to decided what works for them (obviously as long as they’re meeting basic standards like not selling to minors/paying taxes etc). One caveat, which again proves the point, is most licenses holders can continue and always could sell beer to-go, which again makes no sense. Why beer and not wine? That being said, I am not surprised, hopefully the legislature will take another look at this and consider making adjustments to these rules.

Restaurants Left With Inventory, And Consultants Needing To Pivot Again

Hudson Valley Food Hall spun like a top through the economic shutdown. Having signed on new food vendors right when the pandemic hit, owner Marko Guzijan did everything he could every day to stay afloat. After the 24-hour notice, he hit a fresh wall, telling A Little Beacon Blog: “I have about 200 canned cocktails that I can no longer sell to-go. So I paid to create, can and label cocktails that I will now get bartenders to open at the bar, and pour into a glass.”

The canned cocktail company was a pandemic baby. “The guy who created the canned cocktail company was a wine rep who lost his job during the pandemic and created this company to try and pivot to support himself. He’s now completely screwed.”

POS (Point of Sale) systems took off during the pandemic, to make ordering food easier and contact-less. Marko made such an investment. “The Food Hall recently signed up for a POS system where customers can order from all vendors at once (paying one bill) and pick up or get Door-Dash to deliver. This was a shared cost that was mostly supported by the bar (The Roosevelt Bar is the bar in the back of the food hall). What is the point of the bar picking up the tab of this new system if they can’t sell to-go drinks?”

Marko isn’t stopping there. He’s been reaching out to lawmakers. “I want politicians held accountable for this. I want anyone who doesn’t support the extension of the to-go drinks out of office. I spoke with Senator Serino and she said she supports the extension, but they are out of session and the Democrats didn’t want to pass the bill. I spoke with Jacobson’s office and they said they would get back to me (and they did but I missed the call, I’ll call them back). I called the Governor’s office but didn’t get through (I’m planning to email). I want to contact the Assemblyman in Fishkill to find out where he stands. I want names of the politicians who failed (once again) the restaurant/bar industry and I want them held accountable.”

Thrillist’s day-after cocktail-to-go death announcement.

New Yorkers Don’t Have To Live Like This

While most headlines lamented the death of the cocktail-to-go, most moved on, thinking it normal that the 24-hour rule got switched off. But people in 38 other states in this country are still enjoying it, and will be for some time.

Liquor and wine stores in New York, however, never saw a forced close or had any sales limits put on them, as they were deemed essential businesses. New York has a history of very restrictive legislation placed on wine sales, moreso than in other sates. Examples include:

• Restricted close times. Until recently (see ALBB’s article covering it), wine stores needed to close at 7pm, while beer stores and bars could be open far later. Dutchess County Legislators from Beacon tried to change the law to 9pm at the encouragement of Artisan Wine Shop in Beacon as well as others, but resistance from wine stores further upstate was fierce. In open letters, the wine and liquor stores stated that they did not want to pay employees to be open for longer hours, and feared for their safety. Some in the public made the argument of extended hours would encourage alcoholics, despite the fact that people with a problem will hoard up on bottles no matter what time a store is open. With a big push, the law was finally changed, and local stores in Beacon are able to stay open longer.

• No wine sales in grocery stores. People who move to New York from out of state are shocked to find that there aren’t any wine aisles at the grocery stores. From as far back as 1960, legislators in New York have tried pushing a bill through to allow it. According to Food and Wine, Governor Mario Cuomo proposed it in 1984: “Grocery stores have long pressed for the right to sell wine. The proposal first surfaced in the 1960s, and was last seriously debated after Gov. Mario Cuomo proposed it in 1984. But liquor store owners, most of whom sell far more wine than spirits, have fought it tooth and nail.” During a 2008 push under Governor David Paterson, who was trying to collect more taxes during that recession, also did not succeed, yet with a little less resistence then: “Wholesalers have also opposed it, but appear to be staying neutral this time.”

• The proposed “at rest” rule. This proposed legislation introduced in 2013 by state Sen. Jeffrey Klein, which failed, “would have required all alcoholic beverages sold by New York wholesalers to remain ‘at rest’ in a warehouse in New York for at least 24 hours prior to delivery to a retailer or restaurant.” The stated goal of the bill, SB3849, is to create new jobs in New York and "level the current playing field" for the state's wine and spirits wholesalers,” according to Wine Spectator. Most of the New York wine wholesalers used storage in New Jersey, and saw the required 1 million square feet of space in New York as nonexistent. According to the article, New York's two largest wholesalers, Southern Wine and Spirits and Empire Merchants (a subsidiary of the Charmer Sunbelt Group), did not publicly state their position on the bill, but had donated thousands of dollars to New York politicians, according to Wine and Spirits.

• “Consignment.” According to Joe from Homespun, the concept of selling wine on consignment was attempted to be made illegal. This is when a collector gives wine to a restaurant to sell, and the collector gets paid only after the wine is sold. It happens all the time in the retail industry with clothing and jewelry from designers, and eases the burden of investing in inventory. Joe theorizes: “They, in a board meeting I’m sure, perhaps blamed this minuscule tiny tiny tiny fraction of wine sales in restaurants as the reason whatever “brand” (note the lack of the word “winery”) wasn’t selling.”

Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro wants the rules revisited. “We would like to see all of the economic relief measures remain in place through the summer months. We have even discussed why we should ever restore some of them. Some of these rules just don't make sense.”

Further, Molinaro sees the need for big changes in the State Liquor Authority: “I have long advocated the State Liquor Authority to go local. It has outlived its usefulness and is beholden to wholesalers. Many rules are to benefit the supplier. That's a position one can take. We think it should be treated as local zoning. I've advocated for this since I was in State Assembly.”

New York State Reaches 70% Vaccinated In People Age 18+; Governor Cuomo Lifts Many Restrictions

As reported by everywhere, including WHAM and Dutchess Business Notification Network, New York State has reached the milestone of 70% of people 18 and older having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Mid-Hudson region has reached 71.9%, as stated in Governor Cuomo’s press conference today (6/15/2021). To celebrate, the governor has lifted many restrictions, and has scheduled firework celebrations throughout the state.

Last year at this time, according to WHAM, the COVID-19 positivity rate was 48.16%, while today it is .4%. Also last year at this time, Governor Cuomo himself was complaining about unexpected firework launchings, as remembered by Gothamist: '“But it is somewhat unexpected that Cuomo would spring fireworks on unsuspecting New Yorkers considering the proliferation of illegal fireworks last summer led to lots of complaints...including from the governor himself. ‘You can be in New York City, it sounds like the Wild West at night. Even in Albany, I’ll tell you the truth. I don’t know what has happened,’ Cuomo said last summer, adding that he was so startled at night at times that he jumped out of his bed.”

Last summer In Beacon, Councilperson Air Nonken Rhodes also encouraged people not to launch their own fireworks, and continues to encourage no private fireworks into this summer was well.

Most importantly, however, are the restrictions that are lifted by Governor Cuomo, effective immediately. Federal orders related to COVID are still in place for now, which include masks for children indoors in school. Children and adults can be masks off outdoors, however, on school property. According to his 6/15/2021 announcement, the lifted restrictions are as follows:

Effective Immediately, State-Mandated COVID Restrictions Are Lifted Across Commercial and Social Settings:
Social Gathering Limits
Capacity Restrictions
Social Distancing
Cleaning and Disinfection Protocols
Health Screening
Contact Information for Tracing Purposes

Effective Immediately, State-Mandated COVID Restrictions Are Lifted Across Commercial and Social Settings:
Retail
Malls
Movie Theaters
Food Services
Offices
Gyms and Fitness Centers
Amusement and Family Entertainment
Hair Salons
Barber Shops
Personal Care Services
Sports and Recreation
Construction
Manufacturing
Trade
Child Care
Camps
Food Services
Real Estate
Buildings
Agriculture
Fishing
Forestry

Unvaccinated Individuals Responsible for Maintaining Social Distancing of Six Feet and Wearing a Mask, Per Federal CDC Guidance

Exempt and Still Adhering to State's Existing COVID-19 Health Protocols:
Large-Scale Events Venues
Pre-K to 12 Schools
Public Transit
Homeless Shelters
Correctional Facilities
Nursing Homes and Health Care Settings

Back To School For Beacon Schools - In April! Increase To 4 Day Week In-Person For Those Who Are Comfortable

The “new normal” of this pandemic is to constantly shift. The Beacon City School District has been prepping the community with how they intend to expand their reopening from 2 days/week in-person to 4 days/week in-person for each school, including a full Remote option for those who wish to stay at home, and 1 day (usually Wednesday) of Remote Learning to accommodate Remote Learners and special programming, according to the Reopening Presentation by Beacon’s Superintendent, Dr. Landahl on March 5, 2021.

Remote free breakfast/lunch service delivered by bus will remain available to students studying at home in the Remote plan as well. Elementary Schools and the Middle School opened for 4 days on April 6, 2021. The High School will open 4 days on April 19th, 2021.

Reaction to the reopening has been mixed, as Dr. Landahl acknowledged that change creates anxiety, stating in an email to parents on February 26, 2021: “I understand that this has been a difficult year for everyone and that the idea of potential change brings anxiety and lots of questions. I will do my best to be thorough in our explanations of plans next week and as transparent as possible.”

While many parents want their children in school for socialization and learning styles, a routine has been established. One district parent explained to ALBB: “We are in a routine now with 2 days, and upgrading now feels like the first day of school, since my child has not been with the other half of the class in person all year.”
UPDATE: We checked in with this parent at the end of the first 4 day back to school, and this parent was very happy to have their child in school, stating: “I haven’t been able to get anything done in ages! I’ve changed my tune!”

While the back-to-school jitters are in full swing in April, other parents expressed relief at starting the in-person schedule, shifting the weighted responsibility of learning and stimulation back to the teachers, instead of worrying all day that not enough stimulation was happening. Some parents stated that they may: “Take a nap. Take a shower. Take a meeting. Go to work. Take a walk. Clean my kids rooms. Buy my child’s teacher a really great Teacher Appreciation Gift Card this year, or any day, maybe once per week.”

For parents who are teachers, the shift back to the classroom may have made their work day easier with familiarity, as splitting for remote has involved a learning curve of new skills and tasks.

How The 4 Day In Person Will Work For Beacon’s 4 Elementary Schools

Start time remains at 9:30am. Parents who wish to change from in-person to Remote or vice versa can do so. Dr. Landahl stressed the thought process behind opening now, and addressed safety guidelines as well as mental health: “We have not seen spread of the virus in our in-person schooling the entire year. We have seen an increase of mental health concerns among our students. Families are struggling under the current model.”

At the end of this first day, 4 new cases of COVID-19 had been found in 4 students, but the students had been studying at home, so the schools could remain open. Generally, this has been the pattern to COVID-19 cases in the district. This may change with increased in-person days, but safety measures have been put into place.

All Remote kids will stay with their current teacher, and an additional full-time teacher has been hired at each of the 4 elementary schools to help with Remote learners. Some kids who are returning may be with a different teacher in order to accommodate class sizes. Said Dr. Landahl: “All-remote students will have a morning session with their teacher every day, and then 2-3 additional instructional sessions with either their homeroom teacher or the remote support teacher. Some instructional sessions will be direct [screen] instruction and some will be live-streamed. We are not expecting students to be in front of a screen all day.”

Safety Measures Being Taken

The Beacon City School District says it is taking direction from American Association of Pediatrics, Dutchess County Health, as well as medical experts quoted in the media. Areas of focus include air quality, ventilation, outdoor learning, voluntary surveillance (ie voluntary rapid testing available at school), social distancing and use of barriers.

Ventilation Measures

Dr. Landahl said that MERV-13 filters were installed in unit ventilators in September 2020 and are replaced on schedule. He also said that portable HEPA filters will be added to each elementary classroom and ultimately every classroom. The elementary school buildings are quite old, so open windows are encouraged, as well as universal masking and outdoor tents and spaces. Some parents are in favor of children to experience learning in an outdoor environment anyway, pandemic or not.

Plastic Barriers At Desks

Classrooms that cannot achieve social distancing will have plastic barriers installed between students where they are learning, according to Dr. Landahl’s presentation. Some tables will be replaced with desks, and class size will range from 11-17 students. Plans for each classroom are made once the districts knows how many children will be in classrooms.

Services For Special Education

Since the pandemic, students with special needs have been studying at school in person 4 days per week, and have small class sizes in their own rooms. Students with special needs who attend school remotely do sign in with their school-issued Chromebook at designated times to in order to meet with their teacher and to receive the work that is posted. Students with Disabilities who attend school Remote Only receive related services remotely, and are accommodated in-person to the extent possible, according to documentation posted at the Beacon City School District’s website.

English Language Learners (ELL)

According to the Beacon City School District’s Equity Report Card, the number of children in the Hispanic/Latino community who attend Beacon schools has been steadily growing, and is second largest to the white community.

According to Dr. Landahl: “The Beacon City School District is committed to comprehensive high-quality, and culturally responsive instruction for ENL students. We will provide the required instructional Units of Study to all ELL’s based on their most recently measured English Language Proficiency Level during in-person or virtual instruction. We will complete the ELL identification process within 30 school days of the start of the school year for all students that enrolled during the COVID-19 school closure period as well as all students that enroll during the summer of 2020 and during the first 20 days of the 2020 -2021 school year.

“After the 20-day flexibility period, identification of ELL’s will resume for all students within the required 10 school days of initial enrollment as required by Commissioner’s Regulation Part 154. Our ENL Teachers will be responsible for providing services to our ENL students. Schedules will be set and students that are enrolled in the Remote Learning schedule will receive their services on-line according to the required minutes of instruction.”

Sign up here to opt children into rapid testing for COVID-19 on Wednesdays.

Party! Restaurants/Bars Can Stay Open 'Till 11pm; Amusement Parks 33% Capacity; Indoor Family Entertainment Centers 25%

Caution-first of course, but this week, Governor Cuomo has signed an Executive Order “extending closing times for bars, restaurants, gyms and fitness centers, casinos, billiards halls, as well as other State Liquor Authority-licensed establishments, from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. statewide, effective immediately,” according to the Dutchess Business Notification Network.

Family Entertainment Centers

Beginning March 26, 2021, New York State announced that indoor family entertainment centers can reopen at 25% capacity.

Living indoors with young kids and teenagers with nowhere to go has been very difficult. More difficult, however, is hearing about a family who got COVID-19 and had family members go to the hospital. While these centers may open, businesses will need to show how safe they are being, and not exceed capacity.

Amusement Parks Can Open This Spring

Outdoor amusement parks are allowed to open on April 9, 2021 at the limited capacity of 33%.

Sports Venues Can Open At 10% Capacity

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on 2/10/2021 that sports and entertainment events in major stadiums and arenas with a capacity of 10,000 or more people can re-open with limited spectators beginning February 23. “Following the model established as part of the successful Buffalo Bills pilot program, venues and events must follow similar guidelines, including Department of Health approval for venues and events, capacity limitations, testing requirements, mandatory face coverings, temperature checks, and assigned, socially distanced seating.”

Venues will have to institute a 10% capacity limit in arenas and stadiums, as well as ensure all staff and spectators receive a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of the event.

According to the Dutchess Business Notification Network: “New York State and Empire State Development are looking to help vendors set up low-cost rapid COVID-19 testing sites for asymptomatic individuals with the idea being this will allow the state to begin the process of opening large gatherings/events. As such, the focus is on spaces near city centers/areas that will attract crowds.”

Location details include: “No or low cost 6-month lease immediately available; Street level store fronts with walk in access; About 750-1500 square feet (no additional charge for larger space). They are, on average, using 1200 sq. ft.” Email Deanna Robertson at drobertson@hvedc.com with questions.

Summer Day Camps Looking Probable To Open

The Dutchess Business Notification Network reports that “the New York Department of Health will release reopening guidance for day and overnight summer camps in the coming weeks. It is recommended that camps begin to develop their procedures and safety plan.”

Safety Measures

According to the Dutchess Business Notification Network: “All facilities must submit their plans to reopen, including the health protocols the facility will implement, to the local health department. Face coverings and social distancing will be required for all customers and staff, and customers will be required to have a health screening with temperature checks prior to entry.”

Additionally, the following guidelines must be followed:

• Contact information must be collected from each party to inform contact tracing, if needed;

• High-touch areas, attractions, and rides must be cleaned and disinfected frequently throughout the day;

• Attractions must close if they cannot ensure distancing and be frequently cleaned/disinfected;

• Sufficient staff must be deployed to enforce compliance with rules, including capacity, distancing, and face coverings;

• Tickets should be sold in advance, and entry/exit and waiting times should be staggered to avoid congestion;

• Indoor areas must meet enhanced air filtration, ventilation, and purification standards; and

• Retail, food services, and recreational activities must abide by all State-issued guidance.

What Businesses Need To Do To Stay Open If People Are Afraid To Come Inside During A Pandemic

Do you own a business, have made investments to adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines, but people aren’t coming in yet? There are a few easy things you could do to turn this around.

A Little Beacon Blog has two sister companies: Tin Shingle and Katie James Inc. Both specialize in digital marketing. From a business perspective, with the right education, people can stay safe during a pandemic, and still shop and see people. Businesses and institutions can stay open - as long as their practices are safe - and their messaging is safe.

This article is written with our marketing hats on, from both Tin Shingle and Katie James Inc. Methods that we have used for years and years, that can work - if you are actively engaging in safe measures and acknowledging the pandemic.

Share How Your Business Is Being Safe By Providing Social Distancing

If your business has been closed since forever, and now it’s open, YAY. Now you need to share how it is being safe. If you don’t do this regularly, you may be missing out on a lot of business.

GOOGLING:
When people Google your business, they are getting a few options: Phone to call, and Website to click. They are going to call first. If you don’t feel like answering the phone, or if you have a a voicemail answer for you with directions on what numbers to press to get to a person, then include this entire message of safety on that voicemail. If you don’t, customers who are watching that Dashboard of active COVID-19 cases might not come. Because you didn’t make them feel safe. This is your responsibility in these times.

VOICEMAILS:
When a customer calls your place of business, your voicemail or auto-answering service needs to tell them how your business is being safe. Don’t assume people know what regulations you needed to follow. People like to hear the reassurances.

Are your doors open for ventilation? Did you invest in air-purifiers? Do you use fans? Does your staff wear masks? Do your customers need to wear masks? Do you have reduced % capacity? If so, state what that is. Do you have a waiting policy? Do your customers need to wait in the parking lot for when their turn is ready? Do you have a deep-clean system? Great! State all of this. Yes, it’s a huge pain for you as a business to do this. But your customers do want to hear it. They will feel reassured, and most likely will come to your place of business.

WEBSITE:
All of your COVID-19 safety measures need to be stated on your website in a special section called COVID-19. Not sure it this is required by an Executive Order of any kind, but for regular people searching to feel good and safe, this is required if you want them to walk through your doors. Sure, you may think: “My customers feel safe no matter what.” Well, there are plenty of other customers who are not coming in because they don’t know your drill. If you have a drill. You have a drill, right? : )

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Fill your social feed on Instagram, Facebook and/or TikTok with pictures of your safety moves. Make them fun! Safety is sexy! If you don’t have time to do this, hire someone to do it for you. Visit A Little Beacon Blog’s Business Directory in the Branding or Social Media sections. Or hire Katie James, Inc. to do it for you! We are great ghost writers and visionaries with photos. We can write in your brand’s style and personality.

NEWSLETTERS:
The most feared marketing tool that a small business has, and the most effective. Sending your customers newsletters - as well as random people who signed up for your newsletters - is so important. The personal inbox has always been, and remains to be, a sacred space. Use it. Your people want to hear from you.

THE MEDIA:
Yes, the media is looking for COVID-19 stories. Did you make a big investment in equipment to make your business more safe? Did you make a big pivot move? Did you save your staff? Did you not take PPP money because you told your staff to stay on unemployment to get the extra Pandemic Insurance? Did you close for the winter, with hopes of opening back up in the spring?

Any special thing you are doing because of the pandemic - pitch it to the media. Tin Shingle educates business owners on how to pitch the media (ahem…publicists…you should follow along as well, because we see lots of pitches from publicists that are not on the mark…you must get creative, timely and very on target!).

You got this, businesses! We got you. We want to buy from you. Keep going. Put the messaging of safety and what you need out there.

Beacon Restaurant Owners Respond To 10pm Alcohol Curfew: The Grill Is Hot

As coronavirus cases surge across the country, with states like North Dakota declaring that their hospitals are 100% at capacity and they don’t have enough nurses who are not infected, while Ohio warns that their hospitals may soon be over-capacity, and every day the United States out-does itself with the next highest record, Governor Cuomo nipped it by nixing late night drinking after 10pm at bars and restaurants. They can continue to cook for to-go orders, but in-person service will stop. Gatherings at home are limited to 10 people, and gyms must also close at 10pm.

At first blush, this seems to target canoodling. As one 8 year old observed: “Everybody knows that COVID cases are coming from people kissing at bars.” The truth may be that infections are spreading at home as people get lax in their social circles. With Thanksgiving coming up, Governor Cuomo just decided for you on if you were merging with another family, depending on the size of yours. Which may be good, as family table talk could get fiery with the election still in the rear view mirror.

For some restaurants in Beacon, the surge in take-out, delivery, parklets (seating in the street) and new safety measures have helped keep their businesses alive. We checked with business owners in Beacon to see how this curfew will impact them, interviews with some are below.

The eateries most impacted will most likely be Hudson Valley Food Hall, with the limitation of the Roosevelt Bar, Barb’s Fry Works, who just opened a stall inside HV Food Hall to cater to the late night drinking crowd, and The Beacon Hotel, who is known for their late night lounge service.

Max’s On Main, one of the original a late-nighters in the game, pivoted already to focus on food and take-out. The Eat Church Food Truck used to be hunkered down at Industrial Arts Brewing on Rte. 52, but long ago pulled up the pins and was serving from Marbled Meat Shop in Cold Spring, and will bounce to Kingston next. Sadly, Joe’s Irish Pub, announced their permanent closure and retirement in early November 2020.

We interviewed several owners below, and heard from others as well.

Some Restaurants Already Started Closing At Or By 10pm

MEYERS OLD DUTCH
Meyers Old Dutch (MOD) owner and chef Brian Arnoff used to have a weekend late night crowd, but stopped when he re-opened during the pandemic. “Since COVID started, we’ve been closing by 10pm anyways. We used to stay open until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. Thankfully, this shouldn’t impact us. At least for now anyways.”

CHILL WINE BAR
Jim Svetz, owner of Chill Wine Bar, is also able to proceed, saying: “Thankfully this won’t impact us that much, since we reopened with already limited hours Friday and Saturdays, from 5pm-10pm. So no change here. I think most places with limited indoor seating will have a difficult time this winter. But we will get through this together.”

HOMESPUN
New owner of Homespun, Joe Robitaille, who is a wine expert (aka sommelier), has increased the amount of wine bottles and specialty beer they sell from the store, which “has helped us so much,” he told us when mulling over Thanksgiving and catering options. Look for a possible fire-pit and heaters in the back garden, but that is not confirmed yet.

BANK SQUARE COFFEE HOUSE
Bank Square Coffee House is a coffee house that caters to a beer crowd for day-drinking and lightly into the evening. Says their manager: “I do believe it might impact our weekend crowd. Now with winter coming along, we depend a lot on our weekday regulars and our occasional busy weekends. Now with not many people being able to stay out late, I think we might see a little less of a weekend crowd. Fortunately, we close at 8pm even on weekends, so we won’t get too impacted.”

Late Night Bars With Food Who Pivoted With The First Re-Opening

QUINN’S
Quinn’s was one of the last restaurants in Beacon to re-open, waiting until summer. For this latest restriction, Quinn’s manager, Stamper, was feeling prepared: “After our hiatus between May and August, we re-opened understanding that we would not be a late night place again for a long while. With this in mind, we shifted our hours to incorporate lunch and closing at 9pm. With the removal of Main Street parklets, losing our outdoor dining, we’ve recently opened up indoor at an exclusive capacity, and with new hours: 5pm-11pm. This change was so fresh, that most customers still assume our kitchen is only open until 9pm, and so orders taper off around then. Ultimately, we’re losing an hour, but the bulk of our business is kept between the 5pm-9pm hours, and I’m certain as word spreads, folks will hang at Quinn’s until 10pm. Thank you!”

MAX’S ON MAIN
Max’s on Main is where you go where everybody knows your name, at practically any time of the day. You need a Blondie dessert at 11pm after having a great dinner at Dogwood? You go to Max’s. However, after the re-opening, they too shifted their late night bar scene to be heavy in food. We caught up with Jesse Kaplan, son of co-owner Richie Kaplan, and bar tenders Stephanie and Mary.

Said Jesse: “We were one of the business that served food the latest. Our customers know that we are available here later than some other places, and they have been very supportive of that. We are going to take a hit for that. But, we care about everybody being safe. If this is what we have to do to help the community be safe, then we are all in favor. I would never want to put the community at risk. We have been very careful here about everything. Face masks. Sanitation. Temperature. If we have to close at 10pm, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Will alcohol sales hurt Max’s? Jesse explains: “Our identity changed a little bit as a result of the pandemic. We made the decision to operate the business more as a restaurant once the pandemic hit, with an understanding that we would lose those alcohol sales, but our customers and our staff would feel more safe.”

Delivery is now available at Max’s. Right now, the crew is driving. “We all have been pitching in. Richie takes a delivery. I have been known to take a delivery or two. Stephanie (a bartender and former reporter and student in cyber crime) will take one one the way home at the end of her shift. The staff has really stepped up to pitch in.”

Stephanie chimed in to say that right away after the pandemic started, the community was very supportive and ordered a lot of food. Jesse recalls phone-in orders, where people will say: “Hi, I’m calling in an order, and I ordered from Brother’s earlier, and the Diner yesterday. I want to do my part to support restaurants in town. We are very thankful for that.”

View fullsize

View fullsize

True Late Night Bars Are Digging In

HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL VIA THE ROOSEVELT BAR
Owner of the Hudson Valley Food Hall (HV Food Hall), Marko Guzijan was cruising right along with the bar business at the Roosevelt Bar until 1am, which was doing so well that Barb’s Butchery, who enjoys popping up on Main Street at the Farmer’s Market from time to time from her home base of Spring Street, had just opened a stall inside the food hall called Barb’s Fry Works, which catered to the hungry late night crowd. HV Food Hall is very spacious inside, with tall ceilings, and has a generous patio on their corner lot.

Said Marko, who was looking forward focusing on his 40th birthday: “The late night crowd has been very good for us. Barb’s Fry Works just opened, and her business model is based on staying open with the bar. So it’s a big hit. Everyone in the Food and Beverage business wants to do the right thing. If shutting down helps end the pandemic, then let’s do it. But it feels like the Governor just keeps punching down and hurting Food and Beverage businesses.

“We try to follow the rules. We implement new business models, and then the Governor changes it all up and offers us nothing in return. We have to help out with overhead and bills. Central Hudson still charges the same rate, Optimum charges the same rate, our insurance is based on the size of the business, but our business is cut by over half. I think all small businesses will do what is best for the greater good, but it feels like we are the ones taking the larger hit on our business.”

What new things has HV Food Hall done to accommodate the pandemic? Marko describes: “The food hall bar business model for us is fast/casual and self-service. With the new restrictions, we have had to hire more staff (2 hosts, 2 servers, a barback, and 2 busboys). Now we need to figure out if we need that staff anymore. I really don’t want to lay people off in a pandemic, but might not have a choice.

“We have limited our seating because of the 6 feet rule, which has forced us to turn people away at times. Because of the food rule, the bar will buy food for patrons instead of forcing them to spend more money on something they don’t want. We have 25+ staff in the whole food hall, and have not had a single positive test. When someone doesn’t feel well, they stay home and close the stall. We then pay for a commercial cleaning company to come in and deep clean everything, at a cost of almost $1,000. Five guys in hazmat suits spend 4-5 hours going over every inch of the food hall. We do these things and we’ve never had a staff member test positive.

“As the rules keep changing, we start running our business in fear. At any point, the Governor can send people in and take away the liquor license. I would love to have live music for Saturday and Sunday brunch, but can’t get clarification on if it is allowed or not. So I don’t let it happen, even though a few of the chefs have pushed for it.”

View fullsize

View fullsize

THE BEACON HOTEL
The Beacon Hotel was fully renovated a few years ago by a different ownership team. Jon Lombardi started as the general manager there, and is now co-owner. Under his management, The Beacon Hotel has become an eatery for all times: brunch, lunch, dinner, and operates as a lounge in the evening. Jon was walking past his restaurant when we caught up with him. When asked about the change, he didn’t flinch. “We’re ready. I’ve got my flyer. I’ve got my to-go glasses.”

Jon is never one without ideas, and has inspired his pandemic survival package with a “Last Call: 10pm” theme. Patrons can order to-go shots with group discounts, different cocktails in cute mason jars, and perhaps the best part: if you bring back your mason jar for a refill the next day or days later, you get a discount. Food has always been available to go at The Beacon Hotel, and continues to be, which includes rotating specials and themes for whatever is going on.

There are other bar/restaurants in town, but we did not get their definitive plans in time for this article. Wishing everyone the best, and to keep on ordering.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

10 Is The New Number In New York: Establishment With A State Liquor Authority License Must Close By 10pm; Private Gatherings Limited To 10 People

With COVID-19 cases rising in the nation and in New York, Governor Cuomo announced today via press conference that any establishment with a State Liquor Authority license must close by 10pm. The Dutchess Business Notification Network reported the news quickly. The Executive Order is to come, but you can watch the announcement here.

Hospitalizations in New York are up overall, as are deaths. While the average number of deaths over the summer was at around 4, lately it has been climbing, with yesterday reaching 32. While this is very sad, and overall low compared to New York’s death number in the spring, the increase is notable. Governor Cuomo in his daily emails has been stressing to limit private gatherings, and did remove the liquor license from a wedding venue in Long Island who hosted a wedding that exceeded reduced capacity, and ended up being a super spreader.

From his 11/9/2020 nightly email: “A Long Island country club lost its liquor license after hosting an illegal, super-spreader wedding. As we have seen time and time again, large gatherings can unfortunately turn into super-spreader events. The State Liquor Authority has suspended the liquor license for the North Fork Country Club following a wedding which violated pandemic-related guidance. A total of 113 guests attended—more than double the number allowed—leading to 34 COVID-19 infections, and scores of people in quarantine. New York will not tolerate illegal and dangerous mass gatherings.”

Said Governor Cuomo Tuesday evening: “In the micro-cluster focus areas, the positivity rate was 5.59 percent. Excluding these areas, it was 2.56 percent.” He has always indicated the “tighten the valve” method as numbers increase, and this is one of those measures, without fully shutting things down.

The Dutchess Business Notification Network also reported that while the physical location must be closed, restaurants and bars may continue to serve take-out and delivery options for food items.

Gyms are also required to close each night at 10PM.

Gatherings at private residencies must now be limited to 10 individuals maximum.

Beacon High School Has Positive COVID Case - And The District Is On It With Support And Contact Tracing

Beacon City School District Superintendent Matt Landahl robo-called and emailed district families today (Wednesday) morning with the news that they learned today that an individual in the Beacon High School had tested positive for COVID-19, and was currently isolated. The individual had not been at the building since Friday, and because of health privacy laws, further information about the person will remain private.
Editor’s Note: Speaking for the community by saying we wish the person and their family health, strength, and compassion.

"Today is one of our remote learning days," said Dr. Landahl via email to district families, "and we are spending the day contact tracing." Wednesday is the day that the entire district is at home learning with teachers. This is the longest Remote Day for all students, where they may have several classes throughout the day, versus one Morning Meeting in the morning on regular Remote Days. The Free Remote Meals had just been delivered to front doors of those who signed up for the delivery option, and otherwise, the Remote day was humming along.

Beacon opened and remains in the Hybrid Model, which means students can opt-in for 2 days of learning in person at school, and 3 days for learning at home (with Wednesday as the day everyone is home learning). "When we consider closing a school temporarily due to COVID-19," continued Dr. Landahl via email to the community, "our plan is to close individual schools that are affected and not the entire district unless there is a health need to do so or we are guided to do so by the Department of Health."

Children or adults who were in contact with the person will be notified first by school staff, and then by the New York State Contact Tracing program with instructions on quarantining and potential testing for COVID-19 (you can find testing information here).

"If you are not contacted, then you will not need to quarantine," Dr. Landahl stated. "We will work tirelessly on contact tracing and communicating updates to the community and individual families who are affected by this."

Schools in the region have had over 150 positive cases as of October 8, 2020, as reported by the Hudson Valley Post. Yesterday, Newburgh Free Academy announced that 1 individual had tested positive, but had not attended school and was in Remote Learning only, therefore, school would not be closed for that building. They have had a total of 5 students test positive since the New York State Report Card Dashboard has been launched, which have all been Off Site, according to the Dashboard.

Other schools in the region have reported positive cases, including Wappingers Central, Middletown, Newburgh Central, Arlington Central, and others. Indicated on the Report Card Dashboard is if a positive case of a student or staff was located On Site or Off Site, as some cases may occur in people who are Remote Learning at home and were not in a school building, but are included on the Report Card.

Dr. Landahl included ways to get tested:
”A list of testing sites can be found on the Dutchess County Health Website (please note, the testing sites can change from day-to-day and week-to-week): (https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/DBCH/2019-Novel-Coronavirus.htm) You may also visit the ‘New York State Find a Test Site Near You’ web page: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you Once you enter a zip code, a list/map view of the nearest test sites will become available. “

So Your Child Has The Sniffles, And Is Hybrid, And It's Cold/Allergy Season. What Do You Do?

Beacon’s school district is one of the only that opened with a Hybrid model, meaning, kids in elementary, middle, and high school could opt to go to school for 2 days, and stay home on the Remote Learning plan for 3 days a week. Children in Special Needs programming can go 4 days. Beacon took many precautions with opening safely and maintaining sanitized rooms, which included investing in more disinfecting equipment and personnel, dividing the classes in half in order to reduce the class sizes to comply with state social distancing requirements, enforcing masks in the building (with breaks), and using outside spaces for learning or more breaks.

But as we are in cold/flu/allergy season, the sniffles are bound to happen. What do you do in a pandemic, when requirements exist about how to treat symptoms you may or may not have kept your child home for before?

Step 1: You call your school nurse.
Step 2: Consult with the Beacon City School District’s (BCSD) website, where they have a Reopening section with several documents, including a Protocol for Symptomatic Students or Staff chart that explains what to do.
Step 3: Decide if you are going to visit your primary care physician, or an urgent care, or a free testing site. This article evaluates all of these options.

Symptoms: What Are They?

Many symptoms exist for COVID-19, and you should always refer to New York State’s guidelines, the CDC, and the BCSD’s website for the latest.

For guidance on how to treat a child with symptoms related to COVID-19, like chills, a cough, a sore throat or nausea, the Beacon City School District has posted a flow-chart that explains it. The flow-chart says that if a student has symptoms, then the student is to be isolated and sent or kept home. From there, they should seek medical attention and/or get tested for COVID-19.

This means, the child can see a doctor to be evaluated, and at the doctor's discretion, come away with a note from the doctor saying that they don't think it COVID-19 and can return to school, or that the doctor recommends getting the test.

To return to school, there are a few options:

• Get a note from a medical provider. Says Beacon’s head Nurse Aakjar: “The note from the Doctor must provide an alternate diagnosis (as per NYS requirements),” or

• Provide a negative COVID-19 test of the RT-PCR kind (meaning, the one that gets sent out to a lab, vs the same-day rapid test), or

• Wait 10 days from the onset of symptoms.

If siblings of the sniffler are also sniffly, they are also asked to stay home until symptoms are over. If the sniffles passes through a house with multiple children, you could be looking at a long time of staying at home, if you are a Hybrid family. It's OK. If this had been done prior to the pandemic and with playdates and sleepovers, it might have reduced the amount of stomach bugs and other viruses from being passed around anyway.

If the student tests positive for COVID-19, then the school nurse notifies the local health department. Close contacts to positive cases can return to school after a 14-day quarantine period.

Testing - Where To Go

This is where things can get creative, as there are several variables and costs to consider, including office visit charge, testing charge, scheduling time, and if computers for new telahealth visits are working that day.

Dutchess County put their list of testing sites here. Three of those are evaluated below. Where you go might depend upon your insurance, if you have insurance. If you do not have insurance, Excel Urgent Care is accepting patients and submitting to the CARES ACT on their behalf.

If you do not have insurance, there are no state-sponsored free testing sites in Dutchess County or Orange County at this time, according to a representative from the New York State Department Of Health, and confirmed by Colleen T. Pillus, Communications Director with Dutchess County Executive Office. However, Colleen does encourage people to visit Dutchess County’s list of testing sites, as an insurance breakdown is provided for each one.

Counties that do have free testing sites for non-insured (or insured, if you want to avoid paying whatever your insurance company will still bill you), include: Albany, Binghamton, Erie, Nassau, Suffolk County, Niagara, Rochester, Rockland, and Utica. Visit covid19screening.health.ny.gov to complete a Screening questionnaire, then call the NYS COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-364-3065 to make your appointment. Bring proof of ID and confirmation number.

ALBB’s Review Of Urgent Cares

PM Pediatrics - Hopewell Junction
The easiest urgent care to go for Beaconites is PM Pediatrics. Possibly because they are dedicated to pediatrics, there are less people going there. Also, maybe it’s the area’s best kept secret. Got a splinter and a very upset child who won’t let you touch it? PM Pediatrics has a special splinter puller. Need stitches removed? They can do that too. All from friendly, kid-decorated offices.

At PM Pediatrics, your child can walk-in to be seen by a doctor, and tested at the same time. Or, the doctor may decide that a test is not necessary, and send you on your way with a note. A telahealth visit prior to the visit is not necessary. The test will be done inside their building.

Pulse MD - Poughkeepsie
During the 10/13/2020 Board of Education Meeting, Beacon’s Superintendent mentioned a partnership that BCSD has with the urgent care Pulse MD. According to BCSD’s head nurse, Hannah Aakjar, RN, this is a line of scheduling communication with the District that can be used by any District family, especially those who are new to the District and don’t have a primary care physician yet. Once you connect with your school nurse, your school nurse can set up a virtual telahealth visit with Pulse MD.

A text will be sent to your phone, and you fill out insurance information first. For the 2 times I used it, the telahealth connection did not work, and a phone call was had between myself and the medical professional about my children who had sniffles. They recommended a COVID-19 test.

COVID-19 testing is done on site, but it is in Poughkeepie and averages 300 people per day, for a 2 hour line in the car. Testing is done by nurses outside, rain or shine, and the nurse, in our experience, was so nice and helpful when administering the test, despite the rain that day. The line, however, is real. Go to the bathroom prior, and bring snacks. Or go to PM Pediatrics for walk-in service with no call-ahead scheduling.

Excel Urgent Care - Fishkill

Beaconties have been visiting Excel Urgent Care in Fishkill for their sniffle evaluations and testing. Some waiting of at least an hour in the parking lot may be required, but depends on the day. Excel Urgent Care is accepting people with no insurance, and are filing to programs on the patient’s behalf. Reservations encouraged, but walk-ins welcome.

Sun River Health (formerly HRHCare Beacon)
An appointment for testing is required, but not a telahealth visit. The cost of the test is covered by Sun River Health for those who do not have insurance. This is not an urgent care, but is a resource you should know about for primary care physicians, women’s medical issues, and other medical needs.
6 Henry Street
Beacon, NY
(845) 831-0400

Caremount Medical Urgent Care - Poughkeepsie

We wrote about testing at Caremount Medical Urgent Care here. Being a prior patient of their system is not required, and walk-in service is available. Depending on the wait, you may be waiting in the car for testing or to be called to your appointment. Testing will be done inside the building or from your car.

Primary Care Physician

Being seen by your primary care physician is ideal. But sometimes, their schedules do not allow for this. Which is why a trip to PM Pediatrics may nip your wait time in the bud.

If your child has conditions like asthma cough, causing them to cough without being sick, then a note from your primary care physician is needed to be kept on file with your child’s school. Says Nurse Aakjar: “As far as getting a note for students with chronic conditions that would cause a cough, sneeze or sniffles, this would elate the students from having to stay home and receive a note each time they are having an ‘episode’. We also would accept physician notes that state if a child has a chronic condition that may cause diarrhea or headaches (ie. IBS, lactose intolerance, anxiety, migraines...) to also eliminate the student from having to be sent home.”

This is a good time to make sure your child has an inhaler in the office if needed, and to get the note and prescription from your doctor.

Nurse Hannah Aakjar, RN encourages families and caregivers to reach out and call the nurses at the schools: "If anyone has questions, they could reach out to myself or to their school nurse. We have spoken to many families since reopening and have learned a great deal along the way. This is a learning process for all of us but we are happy that we are able to help families navigate through this very unusual and trying time."

Wishing your family health and safety.

Gyms, Fitness Studios Given Green Light To Re-Open in New York State - What’s Happening in Mid-Hudson Valley?

After two months in limbo that we reported on earlier, Governor Cuomo announced the reopening of gyms and fitness centers, and released guidance for reopening gyms and fitness centers, including facilities located in hotels, and in apartment and condominium complexes. The announcement was made on Monday, shortly after a class-action lawsuit was filed against Cuomo, the state, and the State Attorney General to not only get these businesses to reopen, but also compensation for lost revenue over recent months. Several local businesses group-funded this lawsuit, including Beacon Pilates.

According to the Dutchess Business Notification Network, if you follow the guidelines, and submit your Affirmation, you are eligible to open as early as Monday, August 24th. The County or its delegates can perform inspection prior to the 24th or up to two weeks after your opening.

What Must Gyms And Studios Do To Comply?

These businesses must do the following:

1) Review and follow the Summary Guidelines HERE.

2) Review and follow the attached Detailed Guidelines HERE.

3) Complete and implement the Business Safety Plan Template HERE and maintain on-location for inspection.

4) Go to the link HERE and complete the Affirmation and hit submit, which will go to the state of New York. The State will notify the County within 24 hours of the receipt of the Affirmation. The County will then send you an acknowledgement email using the address provided in the Affirmation, and contact you to arrange an inspection.

Indoor Classes And Swimming Allowed By Dutchess County

The governor has given New York counties the option to opt-out of indoor group fitness and aquatics classes. In NYC, Mayor de Blasio has already declared that gyms will not reopen before September 2nd. However, Dutchess County will allow indoor group fitness and aquatics classes with the mandate that the County reserves the right to opt-out at any time for any reason, including an outbreak at a gym or fitness center, or locality, or an increase in the County’s infection rate.

How Are Businesses Responding?

In an announcement from All Sport Health & Fitness in Fishkill, they state “When we first received word that we had to close the doors to the club back in March, we could have never imagined we’d be closed for five months…While we can’t give you back those 5 months, we’ve sure taken those 150+ days to improve our club, implement new protocols, and provide you with a fitness facility that you feel comfortable returning to.” They installed new ventilation purifiers (REME HALO) and filters (MERV13), using electrostatic sprayers and cold foggers to deep clean and disinfect surfaces, just to name a few of the steps they’ve taken to keep their 80,000 square feet space clean and safe. They will reopen on Monday, August 24th.

Gold’s Gym also announced on their Instagram that all of their locations will also reopen on the 24th including Fishkill, Poughkeepsie, and Newburgh.

Closer to home, The Studio At Beacon plans to reopen August 31st pending the new air purifiers being installed as part of the new guidelines. Some of the news measure they will be taking are limiting class sizes to ensure social distancing, have gym wipes available to clients who wish to wipe down any equipment before or after use, and will schedule classes so that clients have ample space in the locker area before and after class. BeBhakti Yoga Center will continue to keep their classes outdoors in their freshly paved parking lot along with Wednesdays evenings at Long Dock Park. They have chosen to wait a little longer before hosting indoor classes again.

Required Face Covering To Work Out with 33% Capacity

This is a tough pill to swallow for fitness businesses and may face some resistance from members. In larger gyms, members can roam more freely between equipment use, face covering is understandable - like having to put your mask on if you leave your table at a restaurant. However, when your facility is only classes like Spin or Yoga, this can be more challenging as you are stationary in one space and the mask can get harder to breathe through as you sweat into it.

Gyms are allowed only a third of occupancy at a time - that’s 33%. For many gym goers, they will need to let go of the idea of just showing up when they feel like getting a workout in and instead, reserve a specific time. This is normal for specialized gyms who are used to reserving spots for a scheduled session or class.

Zero-Tolerance Policy

There will be a zero-tolerance policy as it relates to compliance. If an establishment is found to be out of compliance with regard to indoor group fitness and aquatics classes, the local government will issue a Cease and Desist order which will prohibit the activities indefinitely. Keep in mind, the Governor can amend his determination and guidance at any time.

July's Second Saturday Art Openings (Yes, Really) - A Cautious Tiptoe Toward Normalcy

July 2020 brings the return, kind of, of Second Saturday. Seven venues have in person openings, whether on windows or in very strictly spaced indoors. Clockwise from top right: Mr. Kum Kum’s Silent Killer at Clutter Gallery, one of three shows there; Mother Altar by Chie Fueki at Mother Gallery, in the windows or by appointment; My Way, Gee’s Bend quilting and abstract works at Parts & Labor; an entry in Help Feed Beacon, a fundraiser and show at Bau Gallery; and Slippage as Form, works by Edwin Torres in the storefront windows of No.3 Reading Room and Photo Book Works.

It’s Second Saturday, when in the Before Times, Beacon would throw a big party with lots of art and wine and snacks. It was really fun. But it’s been a few months since in-person things mostly closed down (thanks, corona) and we’ve focused on online exhibitions, social justice/protest art, and taking care of the general health of those close to us.

So, to be honest, the seven in-person exhibitions this week caught us at A Little Beacon Blog a little off guard. Some shows are windows-based (Mother Gallery, No.3 Reading Room and Photo Book Works); others are indoors, with strict plans and rules on capacity (Parts & Labor, Clutter, Bau, Howland Cultural Center, RiverWinds Gallery). The shows do look pretty neat, but if you plan to keep staying home (the forecast isn’t great), local galleries are offering lots of digital alternatives to explore. We've got it all covered in Beacon’s most comprehensive Art Gallery Guide.

This month’s Second Saturday Art Gallery Guide is sponsored by No. 3 Reading Room and Photo Book Works, at 469 Main Street, down toward the east end of Main Street, where you’ll find not just rotating exhibits, but cool collections of handmade books that the public is encouraged to peruse. Owner Paulette Myers-Rich has found new veins of creativity, coming up with ways to engage readers and consumers of art via her storefront windows.

While you're out and about doing Second Saturday, stop by our sponsors and support the businesses who support us! You too can become a sponsor at any time.

Local Fitness Facilities Come Together To Speak Out Against Phase 4 Mandate

Editor’s Note: Marilyn Perez is a Yoga Instructor at Firefly Yoga in Fishkill, NY

Pictured: The Studio @ Beacon, Beacon Pilates, Firefly Yoga

Two weeks ago, local fitness studios and gyms in our region were preparing their businesses, staff, and its members to reopen Tuesday, July 7th as we enter Phase 4. Five New York regions - Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country, and Southern Tier, entered Phase 4 on Friday, June 26th. As first reported by Times Union, a conference call was held with local leaders that Tuesday afternoon with New York's budget leader, Robert F. Mujica Jr. where he informed them that gyms, fitness centers, malls, shopping centers and movie theaters were no longer a part of Phase 4’s reopening plan - three days before those regions were set to reopen.

What Does Phase 4 Look Like Now?

As the mid-Hudson region enters Phase 4 today, Phase 4 now allows low-risk indoor and outdoor arts and entertainment, film and TV production, higher education and professional sports without fans. Phase 4 also includes groups of up to 50 can gather in Phase 4 and places of worship can allow up to 33 percent capacity, up from 25 percent, although a Federal Judge ruled on Friday that New York cannot limit religious gathering attendance if BLM protests are still allowed.

This change in the policy left many health & fitness business owners in our area feeling like the rug was pulled underneath them. Businesses were working with the state’s NY Forward website for Sports and Recreation guidelines to establish what their new protocols were going to be like. The sudden change seemed abrupt and did not provide additional information on what these businesses can expect next. Will there be a Phase 5? Will there be a change in the Sports and Recreation guidelines?

Petitions, Speaking Out, and Taking Action

County Executive Marc Molinaro and Senator Sue Serino have spoken out against the change, agreeing that it left businesses feeling blindsided. Serino has stated “I stand in support of the countless Hudson Valley employers and employees who are on the brink of financial ruin in calling on the state to allow these businesses to reopen as planned…when asked to step up and stay home, New Yorkers kept their promise. Now, it’s far past time for the state to keep its own promise by allowing these businesses to safely open as originally scheduled.”

Molinaro shared in a Facebook comment “I don’t think it’s unfair to expect the data and science associated with a decision that was unexpected and exactly contrary to what they had been advising even the day before - especially when it contradicts the “science” of opening higher risk businesses… I respect everyone is concerned and frustrated - regardless of viewpoint. Our job is to attempt to navigate it all for those we serve.”

Serino created a petition urging the state to allow these businesses to open as originally scheduled. This petition is in addition to the several petitions created on Change.org requesting New York to reopen its gyms. All citing how these facilities serve as a necessity for people dealing with physical conditions, mental illness, depression, anxiety, addiction, trauma, stress, loss of energy and more.

Separating Fitness Boutiques From Gyms

Smaller, specialized studios that cater to specific workouts like Pilates, Crossfit, Spin, and Yoga are better equipped to control attendance than most businesses. Larger gyms have general open hours and equipment for members to enter throughout the day. Smaller studios are based on scheduled classes, session times, and usually limited to one room. Limiting amount of clients, enforcing face masks, pre-registration, and wellness check-ins are just a few of the many new regulations that will be enforced.

Since March, gyms have had to freeze or cancel memberships altogether while landlords continued to charge full rent for a space that is not being used. Two local yoga studios have closed their doors - Namastesis in Fishkill and Pavonnine Yoga in Beacon. While gyms are doing what they can to keep members engaged with Zoom and outdoor classes, membership numbers are not what they were. The only way to keep afloat is to get people through the door, even with restrictions. Facilities like All Sport Health & Fitness, Firefly Yoga, The Studio @ Beacon, and Orca Empire Fitness have shared on their social media and/or newsletters what they are doing to adhere to CDC guidelines.

What’s Next?

In light of this, the New York State Fitness Alliance was created for owners of Gyms, Studios, and Fitness centers of all types and sizes throughout the State to come together for the purposes of developing a plan to safely reopen. New York State Fitness Alliance (NYSFA) worked together with fitness centers and studio owners to create a plan to reopen safely. This plan has been presented to the Governor’s office, Regional Control room officials, State Legislators and County Executive’s.

iHRSA, a global community of health and fitness professionals committed to the growth, protection, and promotion of the health and fitness industry - has been in talks with members of Governor Cuomo's reopening team and has provided additional data supporting the ability of clubs to operate safely in the new COVID environment. They also cite research from this study that has shown “low possibility of coronavirus transmission in fitness facilities implementing social distancing and other safety measures.”

During his daily briefings, Governor Cuomo has expressed concern over the air quality in indoor spaces and have called out shopping malls specifically to incorporate air filtration systems that can filter out the COVID-19 virus. “There are HEPA filters, which are high-efficiency particle air filters, that can actually filter out the COVID virus,” Cuomo said on Monday during a COVID-19 briefing. "The COVID virus is .1 microns. There are HEPA filters that can filter out .01." In the meantime, essential businesses have been open, and businesses have been reopening throughout Phases 1-3. This leaves smaller studios questioning if this also applies to them? They’re still waiting for answers and guidance.

Outdoor Seating Licenses For Dining Is Expanded By City Of Beacon - Fencing Provided To Enlarge Spaces

The City of Beacon along with Dutchess County has made a large effort to increase seating in outdoor spaces in Beacon. Dutchess County has been working with the State Liquor Authority to increase opportunities for restaurants to serve food and alcoholic beverage outside. According to a press release sent 6/3/2020 by Dutchess County: “For weeks, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, working with local supervisors and mayors, has pushed the state and State Liquor Authority for a series of innovative actions to help restaurants provide alternatives to traditional ‘dine-in’ set-ups, and enable them to take advantage of the important summer dining season. New York State has taken Dutchess County’s suggestions and yesterday (6/2/2020) authorized restaurants to offer outdoor dining once the region is in Phase II.”

Cities and towns are also allowed to expand dining space into public spaces such as sidewalks and streets “which are beside, but not immediately adjacent to, the licensed premises for service of food and/or beverages” according to the SLA guidance.

According to the same press release from Dutchess County: “County Executive Molinaro, during his biweekly conference call with local Mayors & Supervisors, reviewed the new SLA guidance and strongly encouraged local leaders to assist their local restaurant operators in taking advantage of this opportunity.”

The City of Beacon, in group meeting conversations with local business owners on Tuesday morning conference calls, have been talking about “parklets,” where more city space will be created for businesses to set up tables and chairs to serve patrons. The City of Beacon has purchased fencing and cones that businesses can use without charge to help create these boundaries for “parklets,” and can decorate them.

Some business owners in retail are in favor of expanding dinging spaces into parking spots, which encourages walking. Courtney Sedor, owner of Raven Rose, was on the business conference call and was in favor of encouraging walking foot-traffic as opposed to cars, since the intersection down by her shop and across from Echo is a dangerous one with cars coming around the sharp bend in the road. Courtney was also in favor of lending her sidewalk space to her restaurant neighbor Beacon Falls Cafe if they wanted to expand seating as much as possible.

Said City Manager Anthony Ruggiero in response to Courtney’s question on if she would need a special permit: “I think the restaurant would [need to]. We wouldn't be opposed here. The whole goal is to help people and to provide as much social distancing as possible.”

During last night’s 6/15/2020 City Council Meeting, the City voted to approve making this process easy.

Outdoor Business Area Permit applications for Beacon can be downloaded here: https://www.cityofbeacon.org/index.php/2020/06/12/main-street-parklet-program-applications-and-guidelines/.

Please direct any questions relating to the permit to the experts in the Building Department at 845 838 5020.