Thursday, May 14
If you have an immediate need, call (607) 288-3252
As always, community members looking for more information on local health resources and resources related to COVID-19 can contact 2-1-1 by calling 1-877-211-8667 or visiting 211tompkins.org
Mutual Aid Tompkins Facebook Page
Mutual Aid Tompkins Facebook Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins Immediate Needs Facebook Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins Food Systems Facebook Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins: Parent Support Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins Community Form
Mutual Aid Tompkins Community Resource Folder
Donate
We are neighbors concerned about our communities and helping to make sure those most vulnerable and affected by COVID-19 get the support they need. We are volunteer run, with no paid staff, and our aid comes directly from the community. We have created a PayPal & Venmo account and the money donated is going directly to people who have made requests through our immediate needs page. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fundraiser that is in partnership with Tompkins County Worker's Center, You can also make donations through PayPal here and our Venmo here. Thank you!
Local
Tracking - Positive test results for coronavirus are still at 137, and one person is still hospitalized. Recoveries are up one –– bringing the total to 116 people who have recovered from COVID-19 in Tompkins, according to the latest health department data.
HEALTH ALERT UPDATE: GreenStar Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19 – Additional Shift
(Ithaca, NY – May 14, 2020) – The Tompkins County Health Department received notification that a GreenStar employee tested positive for COVID-19. The individual worked multiple shifts at the GreenStar location at 770 Cascadilla St. last weekend.
Today, the Health Department was informed of an additional shift worked by the employee who tested positive with COVID-19. Potential exposures may have occurred during three shifts at GreenStar:
Friday, May 8, 7:00AM – 3:15PM
Saturday, May 9, 7:00AM – 3:15PM
Monday, May 11, 10:30AM – 7:00PM
If you shopped at GreenStar during the dates and times above, please do the following:
It is recommended that you get tested at the Cayuga Health Sampling Site located at The Shops at Ithaca Mall parking lot, 40 Catherwood Rd., between the hours of 10am-3pm Monday through Friday. Sampling site hours for Friday, May 15 have been extended to 9am-4pm. Pre-register online cayugahealth.org/ or call the Cayuga Health Registration Line at 607-319-5708.
Self-quarantine in your home for 14 days from the last date you shopped at GreenStar. Referhere for more information about how to self-quarantine.
If you seek testing and the result is negative, continue to self-quarantine and monitor yourself for the full 14 days from the last time you shopped at GreenStar. If you become symptomatic, seek testing again.
Monitor your health for any symptoms of cough, fever, and shortness of breath.
“As we approach the reopening phases, individuals who are sick must seek testing and stay home. We are encouraging people to be cautious and continue to consider density, distance, face coverings, and hand washing to continue to stop the spread of COVID-19.” stated Frank Kruppa, Public Health Director.
“We appreciate the steps GreenStar has taken to date and are implementing moving forward to ensure the health and safety of their employees and patrons,” stated Frank Kruppa, Public Health Director. Kruppa continued, “GreenStar employees are encouraged to follow instructions provided by their employer due to the nature of their being essential.”
Food
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier will be hosting a drive-thru Community Food Distribution on Thursday, May 21 from 10am-12pm at TC3 in Dryden. Registration is required and will be open from 8am-4pm on Tues 5/19 and Wed 5/20. People can register online here or by calling 1-833-432-3663. This distribution will feature an abundance of perishable items, including recent donations from Nourish NY. This is a drive-thru to limit person-to-person contact so you must be in a vehicle. Limited deliveries will also be available.
Info on Food Bank website here.
From Anna Kelles
Important links and notes from the County.
Members of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) are going to be hosting another Town Hall with updates for the community, businesses, and organizations on YouTube this Friday at 5pm. Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/tCtTDs1u78Y
A video of the Virtual Q&A with EOC leadership held May 11 for businesses and organizations is available Click here.
Here is the full set of slides about the county timeline throughout the COVID19 crisis
Link for businesses in the county from the NY Forward guidelines
Here is a link to a map outlining where each county and region stands with respect to meeting the reopening guidelines
Libraries can participate in curb side pick/delivery in Phase 1. Conversations with the county are taking place to discuss a collective and cautious approach to reopening including precautionary and public health precaution measures.
Testing for all essential workers, a message from The TC Chamber of Commerce and CMC. Cayuga Medical Center President Dr. Marty Stallone recommends that all public facing Essential Workers, volunteers, and anyone that is symptomatic be tested for COVID-19. New York State recently expanded testing criteria to include all essential workers, and Cayuga Medical Center has sufficient testing capacity available to our community to manage significantly more testing. In addition, thanks to a collaboration with Rheonix, a company founded by Ithacan Greg Galvin, Cayuga Medical Center is the first hospital in New York State to use a new technology that provides same day results for COVID-19 testing. To register to be tested at the drive-thru sampling site, call Cayuga Health Registration Line at 607-319-5708, or go online to cayugahealthsystem.org.
More on Anna Kelles’s website https://www.annakelles.com/covid19-updates-resources/summary-51420-county-state-and-national-covid19-related-resources-and-information
State
A guide to the state's "NY Forward Reopening" Plan is available here. The state's regional monitoring dashboard is available here.
Central New York is the fifth region to begin reopening Friday, May 15th. Along with the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, the North Country and Mohawk Valley, this region has met all seven metrics required to begin phase one of the state's regional phased reopening plan. Phase one includes reopening construction, manufacturing, retail for curbside and in-store pickup, agriculture, forestry and fishing.
2. The number of total COVID hospitalizations are still dropping. Total hospitalizations fell to 6,706, from 6,946 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations rose slightly to 420, from 416 the day before. Tragically, we lost 157 New Yorkers to this vicious virus yesterday.
3. The State is now investigating 110 reported cases of a potentially COVID-related inflammatory illness in children. Today, New York issued first-in-the-nation criteria to healthcare professionals that defines what symptoms healthcare providers should look for and provides a case definition. Case definitions help standardize tracking and reporting and can help ensure a better health outcome.
4. Testing capacity continues to ramp up. Yesterday, New York State tested 39,850 people for Coronavirus. Of those tested, 2,390 were positive for the virus. To date, the state has tested 1,298,757 people — a little under 7% of the statewide population. You can follow daily testing data on our COVID Tracker website.
NYS DIVISION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION ALERTS CONSUMERS TO PHONE SCAMMERS SPOOFING THE NYS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND UTILITY COMPANIES
Phone Scammers Claim Payment is Needed to Try to Steal Personal Information Consumers Should be Alert and Follow Basic Tips to Keep Information Protected
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) and the Department of Public Service are alerting consumers of a phone scam in which scammers are threatening to suspend electricity services unless they receive payment for past due balances. Payment has been requested by means of untraceable services such as money transfer apps, including Cash App.
Scammers may also attempt to steal personal information from unsuspecting victims. In these cases, the caller “spoofs” the official phone number of the Department of Public Service and calls individuals seeking payment for outstanding utility bills to avoid disconnection of service. Pursuant to Governor Cuomo’s March 13th directive, the Department of Public Service worked with the State’s utility companies to ensure no New Yorkers would have their utilities cutoff for nonpayment during the PAUSE. Similar action was taken during Super Storm Sandy, the 2014 Polar Vortex, and the 2008 financial crisis.
“Unfortunately, these types of scams appear from time to time targeting unsuspecting New Yorkers with nefarious tactics, including spoofing official government agencies and utility companies,” said New York State Secretary of State Rossana Rosado. “Be alert and follow some safety tips when you are called or approached by scammers in order to avoid falling victims of tricks to get your hard-earned money.”
In addition, calls have also been reported to be coming from scammers purporting to be from New York electric and gas utilities. The callers ask for consumer information, including utility account numbers, social security numbers, and dates of birth, and request payment for alleged past-due bills. Similar to a Social Security scam detailed in June of 2019, in these cases the caller “spoofs” official phone numbers of state agencies or utility companies call individuals seeking information that could be used to steal identities. Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to a caller ID display to disguise their identity, according to the Federal Communications Commission. In actuality, the call could be coming from anywhere in the world.
To avoid falling victim to these scams, consumers should follow the tips below:
Consumers should never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother's maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if they are at all suspicious. Consumers should not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with "Yes" or "No." Consumers should exercise caution if they are being pressured for information immediately.
Government agencies and utility companies do not ask for payments via gift cards or cash transfer apps. Gift cards allow scammers to get money without a trace. Real utility companies issue several disconnection warnings before shutting off utilities and they never demand money over the phone or specify a method of payment.
Use call blocking tools from your phone provider and check into apps that block calls. The FCC allows phone companies to block robocalls by default based on reasonable analytics (see fcc.gov/robocalls).
Do not rely on the number that comes up on your phone. Callers can “spoof” the number to look like a government agency or local utility company. If someone has contacted an individual and they are suspicious, they should hang up and go directly to the official website for the agency or utility company or call the number on their utility bill to confirm whether there is a problem with their account.
If a consumer receives this or any other scam calls, they are encouraged to file a complaint with the Division of Consumer Protection.
