By Rick Pezzullo— Westchester County held a ceremony Thursday in the lobby of the Michaelian Office Building in White Plains to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the county’s first confirmed coronavirus case. The lobby is one of two locations for the cou... More »
By Barrett Seaman— Governor Kathy Hochul’s weekend announcement that she was ending the statewide requirement to mask up in public spaces, including classrooms, has prompted school administrators to craft policies that respect individual rights on the one hand... More »
By Barrett Seaman— A little over a month ago in this space, we reported what appeared then to be a significant turning point in Westchester’s battle against COVID-19. The infection rate that had nearly reached 23% a month before began to drop then—all the way ... More »
By Barrett Seaman— It was painful to watch, even if one wasn’t an actual victim of the Omicron surge that hit New York State as hard as anyplace during the predicted onslaught following the Christmas/New Year’s holidays. Infection rates that had been in the lo... More »
By Barrett Seaman– The post-Christmas COVID news is, alas, predictably bad. As of Sunday, December 26, there were 16,819 active cases of the virus in Westchester County—an eightfold increase over the 2,019 cases just a month ago, and the worst spike since the ... More »
This story was updated December 25th at 1:00 p.m. By Barrett Seaman– The announcement on Thursday that the county was distributing half a million home test kits for COVID to Westchester municipalities was welcome news to residents frustrated by their inability... More »
By Barrett Seaman– When The Hudson Independent interviewed Regeneron’s President and Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos last August, he predicted that the country’s inability to attain “herd immunity” against COVID-19 meant that there would be “a con... More »
By Barrett Seaman– It says a lot about the times and the place that County Executive George Latimer and his Deputy Ken Jenkins delivered their weekly COVID press briefing Monday from their respective homes, where they are each quarantining with COVID infection... More »
By Barrett Seaman– With a plan in hand and fingers crossed, schools in the rivertowns—both public and private—are plowing into the unknown of a new year as the Omicron variant races through their communities. So far, it is something less than a smooth start. T... More »
By Barrett Seaman— As of Monday morning, December 13, masks are required in all public places in New York State—except in businesses and organizations that have already instituted a full vaccine requirement for anyone venturing onto their premises. However, it... More »
By Barrett Seaman— With infection rates and hospitalizations from COVID-19 still rising while vaccination rates lag, Governor Kathy Hochul has imposed a requirement that both patrons and employees wear masks in all indoor settings unless the place of business ... More »
This story has been updated as of 7:00p.m. Tuesday, December 7 By Barrett Seaman— Since their springtime lows, the metrics by which the state and the county measure the seriousness of the COVID pandemic locally have been creeping up steadily. Infection rates t... More »
By Barrett Seaman— The push is on to get as many 5-to-11-year-olds as possible vaccinated for COVID-19. So far, the only approved vaccine is the Pfizer-BioNTech, given to youngsters at about a third the dose it has been to adults, but approval for Moderna and ... More »
By Barrett Seaman — Normally, the parking lot behind the medical office building on Ashford Avenue in Dobbs Ferry would be empty on a Sunday. Not last Sunday, Nov. 7, however. Cars moved in and out throughout the day as a team of three doctors shuttled medical... More »
By Barrett Seaman— It would be foolish not to be cautious in our optimism, given the setbacks and surges that have repeatedly dashed hope that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is at hand. But it’s hard to ignore the flattening of the delta variant-powered infe... More »
By Robert Kimmel — For the second consecutive year, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on local Halloween activities. One of Tarrytown’s most anticipated events, its Halloween Parade has been jettisoned following earlier plans for its appearance. “After ... More »
The Tarrytown School District is running a vaccine clinic at its Sleepy Hollow Middle School Gymnasium. The clinic will run from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on August 30; second dose from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on September 20. The vaccine is available to all Sleepy Hollow a... More »
By Barrett Seaman— School administrators looking for more granular guidance on how to re-open schools next month finally heard back from the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) on Thursday. There appeared to be no surprises in the 21-page report, re... More »
By Barrett Seaman— With opening day just a month away, area schools, both public and private, are working feverishly to establish rules for both staff and students as they face a school year with COVID-19 still around. Last year was in some respects more compl... More »
