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LATEST BUFFALO CORONAVIRUS NEWS

New York adds 4 states, removes 1 from quarantine list

Albany, NY (WBEN) - Four more states have been added to the coronavirus travel advisory, which requires incoming travelers from areas of high infection to self quarantine for two weeks upon arrival anywhere in the state.Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin have been added to the list. Delaware was removed on Tuesday.On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that travelers who land at New York airports from hotspots must fill out a form on their plans to isolate for 14 days. Failure to fill out the form could result in a $2,000 fine. Enforcement are said to be stationed at airports statewide.The full quarantine list now includes:AlabamaArkansasArizonaCaliforniaFloridaGeorgiaIowaIdahoKansasLouisianaMinnesotaMississippiNorth CarolinaNew MexicoNevadaOhioOklahomaSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasUtahWisconsin

July 14, 2020

Erie County Health chief on testing, schools and quarantine orders

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - "We all want to see kids back in school, if it's safe," said Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein in a lengthy interview on WBEN Tuesday morning."Pediatricians, teachers and parents all want to see students return to school, if possible. We know that students learn better if at school and there's a lot of social support that students receive when they're in school," said Burstein.The Erie County Health Department is working with the State Health Department to help local schools with reopening. With Covid data for the state remaining low, there are two new threats, non-compliance and travel. The Department of Health is requiring travelers from 22 states on the travel advisory to fill out a location form to help with the enforcement of a quarantine. This mandate will be enforced in every airport in New York State. Travelers who fail to provide the Department of Health with this information could face a $2,000 fine and receive a court order to isolate.Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin have been added to the list. Delaware was removed on Tuesday."I'm personally asking people, if you're thinking about traveling to one of those states, change your plans. It's just not worth the hassle," said Burstein. "It's not worth the risk to your health and it's not worth the risk to the people around you. The way to break the chain of community transmission is not to travel to states where we're seeing a lot of transmission." Burstein added, "we've suffered so much and given up so much to get to where we are right now. We don't need people bringing in foreign cases from outside the state. We all have to do as much as we can," she said. Reopening Schools and Coronavirus Latest In General - EC Health Commissioner Dr Gale Burstein As of Sunday, there were 43 Covid patients hospitalized in Erie County. The daily positivity rate was 1.1%. Total case count since the outbreak began is now 7,677.On July 12 there was 1 new COVID-19 patient in Erie County hospitals (43) and 2 for WNY (45). As of 5 pm yesterday there were a total of 7,677 confirmed cases since the outbreak began and 646 deaths. You can see cases by day and by town at our online map: https://t.co/PVJCTrHqLn pic.twitter.com/Y8D8ahgCWi— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) July 14, 2020 "In the last couple of weeks, our hospital admissions have been hovering between 30 and 40. "We are trending higher than we have been," said Burstein. "We have to see if this is a persistent trend."Going deeper into the numbers, Burstein said she is seeing a higher proportion of people between the ages of 20 and 40. Sixteen percent of all Covid patients in Erie County hospitals are between 20 and 44. Burstein said that's a number she plans to watch closely.

July 14, 2020

Report: US/Canadian Border to remain closed until August 21

(WBEN) - CTV News in Canada reports that both Canadian and US officials have agreed to keep the border closed to non-essential travel for another month.The border has been closed to recreational travel since March, while still allowing trade and commercial traffic, as well as those who cross the border for work. The latest extension was set to expire on July 21.“I do feel it’s Canada pushing for this,” said Jamie Fiegel of Fiegel, Carr, and Joyce Immigration Law when the border closure was last extended in June.Even if restrictions on border travel were lifted, Fiegel said that as long as Canada remains under their Quarantine Act day travel would be impossible because of the requirement for anyone who enters the country to have a plan to quarantine themselves for two weeks.“It’s got to all work together,” Fiegel said. “While Canada is still quarantining its citizens, it’s very hard to bring visitors in.”Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week that a decision on the border would be announced “in the coming days.”“We’re going to continue to work hard to keep Canadians safe and to keep our economies flowing and we will have more to say later this week,” Trudeau saidMost Canadians fear a reopening. The U.S. has more confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 than any country in the world while Canada has flattened the epidemic curve.Essential cross-border workers like healthcare professionals, airline crews and truck drivers are still permitted to cross. Truck drivers are critical as they move food and medical goods in both directions. Much of Canada’s food supply comes from or via the U.S.Congressman Brian Higgins issued this statement:“It is disappointing but no surprise to see the Northern Border remain closed for another 30 days. With no leadership from President Trump to address the pandemic, cases in the United States are spiking and as a result United States citizens are not welcome in several countries around the globe, including many of our allies. The President’s failed management, and frankly complete lack of attention to the science and reality before us, is costing the U.S. more than economic and diplomatic losses. It is costing American lives. The United States has just 4.25% of the world’s population but our citizens, friends, neighbors and family members now represent at 23.6% of the world’s deaths due to COVID. While the Northern Border remains closed, the United States and Canada should be developing a plan that lays out what continued, nuanced management of the border during a prolonged pandemic will look like. But the Administration’s failure to develop a national plan for widespread testing, PPE distribution and the rejection of social distancing and mask wearing to slow the spread doesn’t inspire confidence that a such a plan is in the works.”

July 14, 2020

Blame game? Cuomo takes heat over NY nursing home study

NEW YORK (WBEN/AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing blistering criticism over an internal report that found no strong link between a controversial state directive that sent thousands of recovering coronavirus patients into nursing homes and some of the nation’s deadliest nursing home outbreaks.Scientists, health care professionals and elected officials assailed the report released last week for failing to address the actual impact of the March 25 order, which by the state’s own count ushered more than 6,300 recovering virus patients into nursing homes at the height of the pandemic.And some accused the state of using the veneer of a scientific study to absolve the Democratic governor by reaching the same conclusion he had been floating for weeks — that unknowingly infected nursing home employees were the main drivers of the outbreaks.“I think they got a lot of political pushback and so their response was, ‘This isn’t a problem. Don’t worry about it,’” said Rupak Shivakoti, an epidemiologist at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.“It seems like the Department of Health is trying to justify what was an untenable policy,” added Charlene Harrington, a professor emerita of nursing and sociology at the University of California at San Francisco.Cuomo, who has been praised for leadership that helped flatten the curve of infections in New York, has also been criticized over his handling of nursing homes, specifically the order that told homes they could not refuse to accept recovering COVID-19 patients from hospitals as long as the patients were “medically stable.” The order barred homes from even testing such patients to see if they still had the virus.The directive was intended to free up hospital beds for the sickest patients as cases surged. But relatives, patient advocates and nursing home administrators have called it a misguided decision, blaming it for helping to spread the virus among the state’s most vulnerable residents.Cuomo reversed the order under pressure May 10, long after New York’s death toll in care homes had climbed to among the highest in the nation. To date, nearly 6,500 deaths have been linked to the coronavirus in the state’s nursing home and long-term care-facilities.But the 33-page state report flatly says "that nursing home admissions from hospitals were not a driver of nursing home infections or fatalities.”Instead, it says the virus’ rampant run through New York nursing homes was propelled by the 37,500 nursing home workers who became infected between mid-March and early June and unknowingly passed the virus on.The report noted that the number of residents dying at nursing homes peaked on April 8, around the same time as COVID-19 deaths statewide, but nearly a week before the peak of coronavirus patients being transferred from hospitals.It also said 80% of the 310 nursing homes that admitted coronavirus patients already had a confirmed or suspected case among its residents or staff before the directive was issued. And it contends the median number of coronavirus patients sent to nursing homes had been hospitalized for nine days, the same period that the study said it likely takes for the virus to no longer be contagious.“If you were to place blame, I would blame coronavirus,” Dr. Howard Zucker, the state health commissioner, told reporters last week.Cuomo said in a later news conference that“ugly politics” were behind “this political conspiracy that the deaths in nursing homes were preventable. And now the report has the facts, and the facts tell the opposite story.”But several experts who reviewed the report at the request of The Associated Press said it has fatal flaws, including never actually addressing the effect of the order.Among the questions not answered: If 80% of the 310 nursing homes that took coronavirus patients already had cases before the order, what was the effect of the released patients on the other 62 homes? If the median number of patients were released into nursing homes for nine days, that means that by the study’s own count more than 3,000 patients were released within nine days. Could they have been infectious?Denis Nash, an epidemiologist at the City University of New York School of Public Health, also noted that New York’s nursing home death toll doesn't include nursing home residents who died at a hospital, a “potentially huge problem” that undercounts the virus' toll and could “introduce bias into the analysis.”Among the holes in the study highlighted by University of Texas, Houston, epidemiologist Catherine Troisi was a lack of data on what happened at dozens of nursing homes that had no COVID-19 infections before those sick with the virus were sent to them.“Would this get published in an academic journal? No,” Troisi said.Shivakoti said he thinks the report may be correct in concluding that the major drivers of the outbreaks were nursing home workers who were sick without knowing it. But that's not the same as saying the discharges played no role.“If they didn’t infect other patients directly,” Shivakoti said, “they still could have infected a worker.”Dr. Mark Dworkin, a former Illinois state epidemiologist, said the finding that people don’t transmit the virus after nine days of illness applies in the population at large, but it’s not clear whether that’s true of nursing home residents who may have weaker immune systems and shed the virus longer. He said the state's report used “overreaching” language."They really need to own the fact that they made a mistake, that it was never right to send COVID patients into nursing homes and that people died because of it,” said Dr. Michael Wasserman, president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine.New York Department of Health spokesman Gary Holmes said the study was intended to “measure the strength of the variables. ... The strongest factor in driving the nursing home infections was through staff infections.”The Cuomo administration report will likely not be the last word. New York’s Legislature plans to hold joint hearings next month, and Republicans in Congress have demanded Cuomo turned over records on the March 25 order and its effects.“Blame-shifting, name-calling and half-baked data manipulations will not make the facts or the questions they raise go away,” Louisiana U.S Rep. Steve Scalise, Republican leader of a House subcommittee on the COVID crisis, wrote in a letter to Cuomo last week.Asked to respond, Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said: “We’re used to Republicans denying science but now they are screeching about time, space and dates on a calendar to distract from the federal government’s many, many, embarrassing failures. No one is buying it.”

July 14, 2020

At NY airports, $2K fine for failure to submit tracing form

ALBANY, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) — Travelers from certain states landing at New York airports starting Tuesday could face a $2,000 fine for failing to fill out a form that state officials will use to track travelers and ensure they’re following quarantine restrictions. Gov. Cuomo quarantine mandate New York — hard-hit by the pandemic in March and April — is trying to get more travelers to comply with a June advisory aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19 from states where the virus is now surging.New York, New Jersey and Connecticut last month issued a joint travel advisory that requires a 14-day quarantine period for travelers from a list that now includes 19 states, including Texas and Florida, where COVID-19 appears to be spreading. The advisory includes states if their seven day rolling average of positive tests exceeds 10%, or if the number of positive cases exceeds 10 per 100,000 residents.In New York, airport travelers from those states will now face a $2,000 fine if they leave the airport without filling out the form. Impacted travelers could face a hearing and an order requiring mandatory quarantine, under a new state emergency health order issued Monday.New York’s contact form asks for the traveler’s birth date, phone number, email address, gender, date of arrival and method of travel into New York. Travelers are also asked whether their final destination is in New York, if their primary residence is in the state, how long they’re staying, and where they’re staying.Cuomo, who is deploying teams of state peace officers and health officials to greet certain travelers at airports, said that airlines have agreed to help make passengers aware of the requirement using pre-flight emails and announcements.The governor said travelers coming into New York on trains and cars from impacted states must also fill out the state’s new online form.Cuomo said New York’s success in fighting the COVID-19 virus is being jeopardized by a lack of compliance and the threat of the virus coming to New York from other states with increasing infection rates.Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein is asking people to stay away from areas outside of New York State. "I'm asking people who are thinking of traveling to one of those states, to change your plans. It's not worth the hassle," she said. "It's not worth the risk to your health."Burstein said if you do go, report youself to the State Department of Health and stay in quarantine.“We have already implemented a quarantine order for travelers coming in from states with the highest infection rates, but we are experiencing non-compliance with the order that can lead to outbreaks and threaten the tremendous progress we’ve already made,” Cuomo said.New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy did not address the quarantine during Monday’s news conference on the virus. Murphy, a Democrat, has said before he did not have the authority to block people from traveling to the state.Connecticut is not yet looking at fines, but Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said his administration is looking at boosting enforcement and tracing travelers landing at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks.Lamont acknowledged Cuomo’s announcement on fines and said: “We’ll be figuring that out over the next week or so.”

July 14, 2020

Districts preparing as Cuomo issues guidelines on schools

School Reopening Thoughts - Frontier School Superintendent Dr Richard Hughes BUFFALO (WBEN) - On Monday, New York State residents received more guidance on what it will take to open school districts this fall. We all want schools to open but it has to be safe. In NY we will decide based on the data.Schools will reopen if a region is in Phase 4 & daily infection rate remains below 5% (14-day avg).Schools close if regional infection rate is greater than 9% (7-day avg) after August 1.— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) July 13, 2020 "If you don't have the virus under control, then you can't reopen," said Governor Cuomo during his Monday briefing. "We're not going to use our children as a litmus test, and we're not going to put our children in a place where their health is in danger."Common sense and intelligence can still determine what we do even in this crazy environments - we're not going to use our children as guinea pigs," he continued. "If you're in Phase Four and you're under 5%, that means the virus is under control - that means it's safe to reopen, and then the schools can proceed to reopening in that region."Despite the new guidelines for reopening, school districts must still provide reopening plans to the state for approval.Superintendent of Niagara Falls Mark Laurrie went on live with WBEN to discuss some of the plans they're going over, and without sharing too much on specifics of their return to school protocols, he noted that plans need to be extremely flexible."I think we have three plans, really, and I think every district does," Laurrie began. "One is to return with full PPE; one is that remote learning plan, and one is that hybrid, and the hybrid one is probably the one that is most difficult and the one that varies from district to district the most."Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul described what they'll be looking for when they receive plans at the end of July."It's not a complicated formula - they need to keep students apart; they need to make sure they're wearing masks and make sure the facilities are clean, and we're going to give them wide latitude to tell us how they will do that," she said. "I like where we are - we're at a good place to get our children back to school in the fall, and everybody wants that to happen."Listen to Hochul's full comments below: Kathy Hochul Comments on Schools Decisions from the state on these plans are expected in the first week of August, which is really pushing it as far as time is concerned according to Laurrie. "I understand the logic - let's get the most up-to-date scientific data, but it really puts us at the last possible moment because it's not only going to take a lot of time to craft everything and get signage out if we're coming back or if we're doing remote learning, but we've got to inform a lot of people, and there will be a million questions to answer," said Laurrie. "I think that pushes it right to the limit - I don't think we could wait a day or a minute longer."State Assemblyman Sean Ryan discussed some of the current concerns, even if New York's rate of infection has been decreasing for quite a while."We have great fear in New York State that the irresponsible actions of states like Florida and Texas are going to have a negative implication on New York State," said Ryan.Listen to Ryan's full comments below: Sean Ryan Concerned About Other States' Rates of Infections Cuomo added that schools will close if the regional infection rate is above 9% a seven-day average.Laurrie said they also need more guidance one key piece of information."I just need clear guidance as to the proper protocol when a child or adult becomes infected in the building," said Laurrie. "Unfortunately but invariably, that is going to occur, and if that guidance is to shut the school down for a day, two days, five days, it's going to be very difficult to open in a hybrid or full method."Listen to the full conversation with Laurrie below: Still More Questions Than Answers About School Reopenings - Niagara Falls School Superintendent Mark Laurrie

July 14, 2020

Colleges prepare for in-person learning this fall

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Area colleges are getting ready for 2020-21 academic year, planning on in-person education. But there is the possibility distance learning may be required later on, making students and parents wonder if it's worth going this year.Daemen College's Gary Olson says when students and faculty arrive for the start of the year, they'll be tested for COVID19. "Every single person will be tested, it's the main diagnostic test that we do. There is also an option for antibody testing," says Olson. After that, every time they return, they'll be screened, answering a questionnaire. "If the answers are reflective of someone not getting sick, they'll be approved that day to be on campus." Olson says he's planning on in-person classes. "That's not to say in a given class, a teacher one day may meet face to face but the next say we'll meet virtually because we're working on such-and-such a project," adds Olson. "But if something should happen in the college or the state to suggest we're seeing a spike in cases, we can pivot on a dime and go fully virtual."At Canisius College, John Hurley says the plan is to resume classes August 31st, with students in residence halls and in the classroom in person, but with some differences. "Because of social distancing requirements, classes are going to have to be smaller, and this is going to require the faculty to rethink how they use the classroom time and what material is available online and what is done in the classroom," explains Hurley. "If a class has 30 students enrolled, they probably won't find a room where all 30 will be in a socially distanced environment so they'll have to be staggered in some way. That will require creativity and forethought from our faculty but we're working on it right now."Hurley says the college is offering single rooms for students as well as allowing them to have roommates in an apartment or suite setting. "The students who have roommates would be considered a family unit for social distancing and isolation or quarantine purposes, if necessary," says Hurley. "The good part is they can have the experience, the challenge is going to be if one of the four has coronavirus, the other three will be exposed."Hurley testing won't take place because tests will only show the presence or absence of coronavirus on that day, so the database would quickly be out of date.With all that to take into consideration, is it worth waiting until next year? Jeff Boron of The Financial Guys says it depends. "You're paying tuition for the cost of the education. Part of that education is being in a classroom environment, socializing, learning from the professor and that disappears when you have distance learning," says Boron. "You're doing a combinstion of distance learning and you're watching lectures online, but it's not the same as being there."Boron says some students can do well with distance learning, but others, not so much. "They need the interaction, they're visual learners, they need to socialize and ask a question of the student next to them. Those students should consider taking a year off," explains Boron. He says some of the college experience of living in dorms will be a lot different, especially as some colleges are renting out hotel rooms to space out dorms to meet social distancing requirements. John Hurley, Canisius College President Gary Olson, Daemen College Jeff Boron, The Financial Guys

July 14, 2020

Sheriff's office to detail "closing" of holding center today

Mike Baggerman reports: Sheriff's office to detail inmate consolidation in Alden BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Lawmakers in Erie County on Tuesday plan to ask the sheriff's office how they can save money on transportation costs by moving inmates to the Alden Correction Facility from the Erie County Holding Center.As part of the budget cuts needed by all county departments due to coronavirus, the Erie County Sheriff's Office planned to cut spending by more than $10 million. One of their major items is a proposed "closing" of the holding center adjacent to Buffalo City Court and to, instead, use it as a "re-entry" program.The sheriff's office declined comment to WBEN. A spokesman said they will not speak until Tuesday's hearing."The majority of the questions we do have is to just get information," Erie County Legislator Howard Johnson said. "We've gotten media accounts from the county executive press conference about the deficit remediation plan. It was the first time the legislature heard about this."Erie County is facing a budget deficit of nearly $138 million. More than 100 people are at risk of losing their jobs, including many guards and nurses at the holding center.Johnson said the questioning will include how the sheriff's office will be able to do this, why they felt it was necessary, and what the challenges will be with it.The Alden Correctional Facility is 20 miles away from the Erie County Holding Center. Last month, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said people will continue to be shuttled from Alden to Downtown Buffalo, but that it's something that is done every day anyway. He noted that merging the two facilities makes sense because Alden will still be at less than 50 percent capacity with the merger.But there's another element of transportation that concerns lawmakers. Johnson said there is no stop on an NFTA bus at the Alden jail."We want to ask what will be done in regards to that," Johnson said. "Where will the legislature have to help in that process?" Erie County Legislator Howard Johnson has questions about the potential closure of Erie County Holding Center Legislators are not the only ones who have questions about how this change will work. The Erie County Corrections Specialist Advisory Board, an appointed group of people who provide oversight over the jail management division, echoes concerns over a lack of transportation access to Alden. They are also concerned that the distance between Alden and Buffalo will impact the relationship between clients and attorneys because most of their offices are in Downtown Buffalo, suggesting that attorney fees for prisoners and families may increase.READ MORE: Erie County Corrections oversight board outlines concerns with consolidation of holding center and Alden jail inmatesOther concerns include whether Alden can assist those with mental illness, whether prisoners can have access to education, access to re-entry services, and more. A message to the board's chairman was not returned."This will be the first of probably many meetings to see what's happening here," Johnson said.

July 14, 2020

Innosek uses 3D printing to create face shields in WNY

TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WBEN) - Innosek, a 3D manufacturing company, is developing face shields for response for the pandemic.Because of state grants, the Tonawanda company was able to create hundreds of masks for the nation. Many masks were also donated to local first responders."On the peak of what we were doing, we were probably getting out maybe 300 to 500 a day," John Kappel, co-founder and General Manager of Innosek, said. Face shield manufacturered by Tonawanda-based Innosek. July 13, 2020 (WBEN Photo/Mike Baggerman) The production has allowed them to expand to Tonawanda from Hamburg.University at Buffalo graduate and Innosek COO Brian Bischoff said he has been in the 3D printing business since 2017. Initially, they were focused on business and consumer printing but have since transitioned to assist government agencies."We actually had some trouble reaching out to the state because there was a lot of people who stood up and said they could do this," Bischoff said. "I bet (the state) was very overwhelmed."Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul praised the company for their work at the start of the pandemic."It's great to know that we can manufacture those right here and not have to go to China or supply chains that are riskier," Hochul said. "It's been a huge point of pride for me as a Western New Yorker to know what they've done here in this facility with a limited team but a lot of innovation and sweat equity." Innosek hailed for 3D printing of face shields

July 13, 2020

Cuomo says schools in phase 4 with low COVID19 rates can reopen

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) New York parents and educators got some long-awaited answers to their back-to-school questions Monday, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo saying schools will be allowed to open in areas where the coronavirus is under control and education officials outlining a raft of guidance for whether that happens in-person, remotely or a combination of both.Each of the state’s 700 school districts has until the end of this month to detail school-by-school reopening plans.Cuomo said they will be able to move forward with them in regions that are both in phase four of the state’s overall reopening and have seen average daily infection rates of 5% or less for two weeks.“Common sense and intelligence can still determine what we do even in this crazy environment,” Cuomo said during a briefing. “We’re not going to use our children as guinea pigs.”President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy Devos have launched an all-out effort to pressure officials to fully reopen schools in the fall, threatening last week to hold back federal money from districts that don’t bring their students back.“He was wrong on the economic reopening. He’s wrong on the schools’ reopening,” Cuomo said. “Everybody wants to reopen the schools. I want to reopen the schools. Everybody wants to reopen the schools. It’s not do we reopen or not. You reopen if it is safe to reopen.”Students and teachers returning to buildings will be screened for illness, wear masks or face shields and keep six feet of distance when possible. Mandatory fire drills and lockdown drills will continue with social distancing and districts may have to stagger start times, install partitions or change hallway traffic patterns to reduce congestion.If students are learning from home, districts should do everything in their power to provide devices and internet connectivity to students and staff and have a plan to reach students who don’t engage, education officials said, addressing some of the biggest problems that arose when schools were abruptly shut down in March.“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the inequitable access to technology and internet services in students’ places of residence was a priority to be addressed. The closure of New York schools and subsequent shift to remote learning only put a brighter spotlight on this urgent need,” Shannon Logan, the state Education Department’s technology policy coordinator said as the department previewed for the Board of Regents full guidance being released Wednesday.Schools also must make sure that teachers interact with students every day, and not just to take attendance or check in, officials said. That, too, was a recurring theme from students who weighed in on the plans, officials said.“They actually need instruction,” Regent Lester Young said. “There’s no substitute for that contact with their teacher.”The guidance prioritizes in-person services for students with disabilities and requires translated materials for those learning English.Education Department Chief Financial Officer Phyllis Morris said the department would advocate for more money for schools from state lawmakers but acknowledged the pandemic’s impact on the economy.Cuomo said districts will learn the first week of August whether they can reopen for the fall, but a subsequent spike that sends the infection rate past 9% would halt the plans.The governor’s office said the daily infection rate is the percentage of COVID-19 test results coming up positive each day on average. About 1% of COVID tests have been positive each day since mid-June across the state.“There would have to be a very significant spike, and that’s kind of the point,” said Cuomo spokesman Jason Conwall.Districts are getting guidance from the state education department about reopening, with full information out Wednesday, and districts can start submitting plans Friday.. July 13th Cuomo Coronavirus briefing

July 13, 2020

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BUFFALO FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Presented by: STANDINGS (updated Monday mornings):AFC EAST STANDINGS: AFC STANDINGS: NFL STANDINGS: BOLD = WINITALICS = LOSS PRE-SEASON:AUG. 13-17: BUFFALO AT BALTIMORE - TBDAUG. 20-24: BUFFALO VS ATLANTA - TBDAUG. 27-30: BUFFALO VS INDIANAPOLIS - TBDSEPT. 3-4: BUFFALO AT DETROIT - TBDREGULAR SEASON:SEPT. 13: BUFFALO VS NEW YORK J. - 1PMSEPT. 20: BUFFALO AT MIAMI - 1PMSEPT. 27: BUFFALO VS LOS ANGELES R. - 1PMOCT. 4: BUFFALO AT LAS VEGAS - 4:25PMOCT. 11: BUFFALO AT TENNESSEE - 1PM*OCT. 15: BUFFALO VS KANSAS CITY - 8:20PMOCT. 25: BUFFALO AT NEW YORK J. - 1PM*NOV. 1: BUFFALO VS NEW ENGLAND - 1PM*NOV. 8: BUFFALO VS SEATTLE - 1PM*NOV. 15: BUFFALO AT ARIZONA - 4:05PM*BYENOV. 29: BUFFALO VS LOS ANGELES C. - 1PM*DEC. 7: BUFFALO AT SAN FRANCISCO - 8:15PMDEC. 13: BUFFALO VS PITTSBURGH - 8:20PM*DEC. 19 OR 20: BUFFALO AT DENVER - TBDDEC. 28: BUFFALO AT NEW ENGLAND - 8:15PMJAN. 3: BUFFALO VS MIAMI - 1PMAll times are EST* Eligible for flex scheduling

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BUFFALO HOCKEY 2019-2020 SCHEDULE

Presented by Fallsview Casino Resort. The Place You Want To Be. STANDINGS (updated Monday mornings):EASTERN - ATLANTIC STANDINGS: 6EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS: 13NHL STANDINGS: 24BOLD = WINITALICS = LOSSTIMES ARE IN ESTPRE-SEASON:(1-0): BUFFALO VS PITTSBURGH (W 5-4 OT)(1-1): BUFFALO AT COLUMBUS (L 4-1)(2-2): BUFFALO VS TORONTO (W 5-3)(1-2): BUFFALO AT TORONTO (L 3-0)(3-2): BUFFALO VS COLUMBUS (W 4-3 OT)(4-2): BUFFALO AT PITTSBURGH (W 3-2 SO)REGULAR SEASON:(1-0): BUFFALO AT PITTSBURGH (W 3-1)(2-0): BUFFALO VS NEW JERSEY (W 7-2)(2-0-1): BUFFALO AT COLUMBUS (L 4-3 OT)(3-0-1): BUFFALO VS MONTREAL (W 5-4 OT)(4-0-1): BUFFALO VS FLORIDA (W 3-2 SO)(5-0-1): BUFFALO VS DALLAS (W 4-0)(5-1-1): BUFFALO AT ANAHEIM (L 5-2)(6-1-1): BUFFALO AT LOS ANGELES (W 3-0)(7-1-1): BUFFALO AT SAN JOSE (W 4-3)(8-1-1): BUFFALO VS SAN JOSE (W 4-3 OT)(8-2-1): BUFFALO AT NEW YORK R. (L 6-2)(9-2-1): BUFFALO AT DETROIT (W 2-0)(9-2-2): BUFFALO VS ARIZONA (L 3-2 SO) (9-3-2): BUFFALO AT WASHINGTON (L 6-1)(9-4-2): BUFFALO VS NEW YORK I. (L 1-0)(9-5-2): BUFFALO VS TAMPA BAY (L 3-2)(9-6-2): BUFFALO AT TAMPA BAY (L 5-3)(9-6-3): BUFFALO VS CAROLINA (L 5-4 OT)(10-6-3): BUFFALO VS OTTAWA (W 4-2)(10-7-3): BUFFALO AT CHICAGO (L 4-1)(10-8-3): BUFFALO VS MINNESOTA (L 4-1)(10-9-3): BUFFALO AT BOSTON (L 3-2)(11-9-3): BUFFALO AT FLORIDA (W 5-2)(11-10-3): BUFFALO AT TAMPA BAY (L 5-2)(11-10-4): BUFFALO VS CALGARY (L 3-2 OT)(12-10-4): BUFFALO VS TORONTO (W 6-4)(12-10-5): BUFFALO AT TORONTO (L 2-1 OT) (13-10-5): BUFFALO VS NEW JERSEY (W 7-1)(13-11-5): BUFFALO AT CALGARY (L 4-3)(13-11-6): BUFFALO AT VANCOUVER (L 6-5 OT)(14-11-6): BUFFALO AT EDMONTON (W 3-2 OT)(15-11-6): BUFFALO VS ST. LOUIS (W 5-2)(16-11-6): BUFFALO VS NASHVILLE (W 4-3)(16-11-7): BUFFALO AT NEW YORK I. (L 3-2 OT)(16-12-7): BUFFALO AT TORONTO (L 5-3)(16-13-7): BUFFALO AT PHILADELPHIA (L 6-1)(17-13-7): BUFFALO VS LOS ANGELES (W 3-2)(17-14-7): BUFFALO VS OTTAWA (L 3-1)(17-15-7): BUFFALO VS BOSTON (L 3-0)(17-16-7): BUFFALO AT BOSTON (L 3-2)(17-17-7): BUFFALO VS TAMPA BAY (L 6-4) (18-17-7): BUFFALO VS EDMINTON (W 3-2 OT)(19-17-7): BUFFALO VS CAROLINA (W 3-2)(19-18-7): BUFFALO AT ST. LOUIS (L 5-1)(19-19-7): BUFFALO VS VANCOUVER (L 6-3)(20-19-7): BUFFALO AT DETROIT (W 5-1)(21-19-7): BUFFALO VS LAS VEGAS (W 5-2)(22-19-7): BUFFALO VS DALLAS (W 4-1)(22-20-7): BUFFALO AT NASHVILLE (L 2-1)(22-21-7): BUFFALO VS OTTAWA (L 5-2)(22-22-7): BUFFALO VS MONTREAL (L 3-1) (23-22-7): BUFFALO VS COLUMBUS (W 2-1 OT)(23-23-7): BUFFALO VS COLORADO (L 6-1)(23-23-8): BUFFALO VS DETROIT (L 4-3 SO)(24-23-8): BUFFALO AT NEW YORK R. (W 3-2)(24-24-8): BUFFALO VS ANAHEIM (L 3-2)(25-24-8): BUFFALO VS DETROIT (W 3-2)(26-24-8): BUFFALO VS COLUMBUS (W 4-3 OT)(27-24-8): BUFFALO VS TORONTO (W 5-2)(27-25-8): BUFFALO AT OTTAWA (L 7-4)(28-25-8): BUFFALO AT PITTSBURGH (W 5-2)(29-25-8): BUFFALO VS WINNIPEG (W 2-1)FEB. 26: BUFFALO AT COLORADO - 8PMFEB. 28: BUFFALO AT LAS VEGAS - 10PMFEB. 29: BUFFALO AT DALLAS - 8PM MAR. 3: BUFFALO AT WINNIPEG - 8PMMAR. 5: BUFFALO VS PITTSBURGH - 7PMMAR. 7: BUFFALO AT PHILADELPHIA - 7PMMAR. 9: BUFFALO AT WASHINGTON - 7PMMAR. 12: BUFFALO AT MONTREAL - 7PMMAR. 13: BUFFALO VS BOSTON - 7PMMAR. 15: BUFFALO VS CAROLINA - 5PMMAR. 17: BUFFALO AT CAROLINA - 7PMMAR. 19: BUFFALO AT CAROLINA - 7PMMAR. 21: BUFFALO AT CHICAGO - 2PMMAR. 22: BUFFALO VS NEW YORK R. - 3PMMAR. 24: BUFFALO AT MONTREAL - 7PMMAR. 26: BUFFALO AT NEW YORK I. - 7PMMAR. 28: BUFFALO AT MINNESOTA - 8PMMAR. 30: BUFFALO AT WASHINGTON - 7PM APR. 2: BUFFALO AT NEW JERSEY - 7PMAPR. 4: BUFFALO VS PHILADELPHIA - 7PM

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