North Elba recently issued the following announcement.
Dear Citizens of North Elba,
As many of you may be aware, the Governor issued an executive order declaring Juneteenth a holiday for New York State Employees, effective Friday, June 19th. The Governor has also indicated he will be seeking legislative authority to officially name it a legal State holiday for next year.
The term Juneteenth is a blend of words June and nineteenth. The holiday has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day.
Juneteenth commemorates when all enslaved African Americans learned they were free 155 years ago. Now with the support growing for the racial justice movement, 2020 will be remembered as the year the holiday reached a new level of recognition. It is important to remember and acknowledge our past in order to learn and grow from it.
The North Country Region is sustaining the requirements put in place by the Governor’s Directivesto advance to PHASE 4. As of today, only two new positive cases of Covid-19 have developed in Essex County since the beginning of PHASE 3 on June 12th. This brings the Essex County total positive COVID-19 cases to 58.
PHASE 4 is scheduled to begin Friday, June 26, but as we have seen these timelines are not fixed. This would include the reopening of Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and Education. The Regional UnPause Dashboard (https://forward.ny.gov/regional-unpause-dashboard) provides real-time updates and data on our health metrics.
PHASE 4 guidelines for Higher Education has been issued in anticipation of the announcement, https://forward.ny.gov/phase-four-industries .
Additional guidelines for sports and recreation can be found in the INTERIM GUIDANCE FOR SPORTS AND RECREATION DURING THE COVID -19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/SportsAndRecreationMasterGuidance.pdf
The guidance is broken down into three categories as developed by the Empire State Development Corporation (ESD): LOWER RISK, MODERATE RISK and HIGHER RISK
These levels are organized around three distinct categories: people, places and processes.
Determining criteria of which sports are placed in which categories are determined by criteria such as: ability to maintain physical distance and/or be performed individually, necessity of sharing of equipment, and ability to clean equipment.
Lower Risk Sports: individual running, batting cages, hunting/shooting archery, golf, mini golf, non -motorized boating- such as canoes kayaks and row boats, single tennis, rock climbing, individual swimming, individual crew, cross country running, toss/bowl games such as horseshoes, bocce, bean bag toss, flying disc games such as disc golf, frisbee, rope courses, and other sports and recreation activities with similar abilities to maintain physical distance and/or limit exposure to shared equipment prior to such equipment being cleaned and disinfected.
Moderate Risk Sports: baseball, softball, doubles tennis, racket games such as badminton, racquetball, water polo gymnastics, field hockey, non-contact lacrosse, swimming relays, soccer, crew with two or more rowers in shell, rafting, paintball, other sports and recreation activities with similar abilities to maintain physical distance and/or limit exposure to shared equipment prior to such equipment being cleaned and disinfected.
Higher Risk Sports: football, wrestling, ice hockey, rugby, basketball, contact lacrosse, volleyball, competitive cheer and group dance, and other sports and recreation activities with similar abilities to maintain physical distance and/or limit exposure to shared equipment prior to such equipment being cleaned and disinfected.
Lower Risk Sports are now permitted (with restrictions.) Moderate and Higher Risk Sports are expected to get the green light on July 6th.
The requirements as to how businesses may reopen are provided on the New York Forward (https://forward.ny.gov/) website including advice on drafting mandatory safety plans. The North Country Community Chamber (http://www.northcountrychamber.com/) also offers industry specific information as well as webinars.
The Lake Placid Public Beach is in full swing and staffed with experienced life guards who are following all of the new guidelines and safety protocols. Please continue to bring masks, wear as required, maintain social distancing, and help the guards out by following the guidelines as required. (Enjoy the warmer water temperatures!)
Playgrounds remain open. It is recommended that kids are spaced at least 6’ apart, wear masks whenever possible and always when within 6 ‘of one another, and wash or sanitize hands thoroughly before and after use. Please keep in mind that park benches, picnic tables and playground equipment are not sanitized.
It’s not the same experience we are used to, but enjoying the parks, sun, sand and water is still possible while remaining safe. We appreciate your patience and acceptance of the new rules!
Adirondack Health (518-897-2462)
Testing is still a critical part of the requirements to keep us moving forward to additional phases. It is best and/or required to call ahead to make an appointment. The drive up testing center at Adirondack Health in Saranac Lake is open from 12 - 4 p.m. Monday – Friday.
Adirondack Health will offer additional drive up testing from 8-10 a.m. on Monday and 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday by appointment. The mobile clinic will be at Northwood School on Wednesday from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. For the most up to date information regarding Adirondack Health testing availability visit https://www.adirondackhealth.org/covid-testing.
The Mirror Lake Sidewalk Replacement Project continues. Adjacent home owners please be aware that you will be asked not to park in your driveway for a short period of time to allow the concrete to harden. It will be necessary to park elsewhere if you must use your vehicle. Plywood will be placed across the sidewalk to allow egress and access by foot. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Additional information and daily postings may be found on the Town of North Elba Website, the Town of North Elba Facebook page, the Lake Placid Village Facebook page and Friends of Jay Rand Facebook page.
Relevant local information updates, including outdoor restaurant openings, restaurants offering take-out, retails stores opening and/or offering curbside pick-up, and all new developments as well as this newsletter can be received by subscribing to the Lake Placid Insider.
STAY SAFE AND BE SMART
FOLLOW NYS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH GUIDELINES, AND THE GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS.
NO GROUP GATHERINGS, WASH HANDS OFTEN WITH WARM WATER AND SOAP OR HAND SANITIZERS WITH AT LEAST 60% ALCOHOL, WEAR MASKS IN PUBLIC, ETC.
Original source can be found here.
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