{"id":33554,"date":"2020-03-15T18:48:06","date_gmt":"2020-03-15T22:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/?p=33554"},"modified":"2020-03-15T18:50:22","modified_gmt":"2020-03-15T22:50:22","slug":"chautauqua-county-executive-declares-a-state-of-emergency-due-to-novel-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/chautauqua-county-executive-declares-a-state-of-emergency-due-to-novel-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Chautauqua County Executive Declares a State of Emergency Due to Novel Coronavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chautauqua County Officials speak at a COVID-19 Press Conference on March 15, 2020. L-R: Director of Emergency Services John Griffith, Sheriff James Quattrone, County Executive PJ Wendel, Commissioner of Health and Human Services Christine Schuyler, County Medical Director Dr. Michael Faulk. (Image courtesy of Dan Heitzenrater \/ County Executive’s Office)
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MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel<\/strong> declared a State of Emergency at 5 p.m. on Sunday due to the novel Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The local state of emergency will remain in effect for a period not to exceed thirty days or until rescinded, whichever occurs first, and may also be extended for additional periods not to exceed thirty days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to begin by stating there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Chautauqua County at this time,” said Wendel. “Although there are no cases within Chautauqua County to date, this situation is rapidly evolving, and the threat of this virus is imminent to the citizens and visitors of our county.\u00a0 It is necessary that Chautauqua County be proactive and fully prepared to deal with its effects.”<\/p>\n

COVID-19 is an infection associated with fever and signs and symptoms of pneumonia or other respiratory illness, and if spread in the population could have significant public health consequences.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The State of Emergency does not in any way impact travel and County operations will continue unchanged unless otherwise advised.\u00a0 Local emergency orders may be enacted and public health recommendations may be issued subsequent to this declaration to protect life and property or to bring the emergency situation under control.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have established a County COVID-19 Response Team containing the appropriate public health and emergency services officials and staff that will be meeting and issuing updates to the public daily,\u201d Wendel continued. \u201cI also remind everyone of Governor Cuomo\u2019s policy on social distancing; meaning public venues and establishments are limited to 50% or half their rated capacity.\u00a0 For example, that means a restaurant normally rated for 100 patrons may now seat 50, and they should be spread out, not congregated in half the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now recommending that all school districts in Chautauqua County close to students on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 until further notice.\u00a0 This is not a mandate, only a recommendation so it is up to each school district to decide,\u201d said Chautauqua County Commissioner of Health and Human Services Christine Schuyler<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis doesn\u2019t mean that you take your kids to Splash Lagoon, or the mall, or out for dinner. This means we need to stay home, hunker down, and keep everyone as healthy as we can and get through this,” Schuyler added.<\/p>\n

Schuyler also said the decision to recommend closing schools has been made in close collaboration with Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Superintendent Dr. David O\u2019Rourke<\/strong>, as well as other school superintendents.<\/p>\n

“The decision was made for several reasons, one of them is to slow the spread of disease among groups of students in confined spaces. This decision was not made because we think that we are going to have terribly sick children or children that will have respiratory issues that we are seeing in older people,” Schuyler added.<\/p>\n

Schuyler continued, \u201cCOVID-19 seems to be targeting the older population, not our kids \u2013 but our kids are great transmitters. The germs that they have on them can easily spread to those that really can\u2019t fight them away as well as our kids can. We need to protect our vulnerable populations \u2013 our older adults and those with underlying health conditions, compromised immune systems, and pregnant women.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to the nature in which viruses including COVID-19 spread, we should all limit our public interaction, especially if you have symptoms,\u201d said Dr. Michael Faulk<\/strong>, Chautauqua County Medical Director.\u00a0 \u201cThat means avoiding crowded spaces, limiting trips to the store, maybe skipping your usual night out or postponing family parties.\u00a0 If you do have symptoms or are concerned, please call your healthcare provider ahead and they will instruct you on how to proceed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to begin by reminding everyone to please be kind to one another,\u201d said Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone<\/strong>.\u00a0 \u201cOnly buy what you need, there are currently no disruptions in the grocery store supply chain.\u00a0 Also, do not call 911 for general Coronavirus concerns or information, to ensure the emergency lines are open and available for emergencies.\u00a0 The State Health Department COVID-19 hotline is 1-888-364-3065.\u00a0 We are also taking precautions in the jail to ensure our staff and inmates are protected, including ceasing face-to-face visitations while allowing additional phone time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chautauqua County Director of Emergency Services John Griffith<\/strong> concluded by stating, \u201cI would like to thank the First Responders in Chautauqua County for all they do.\u00a0 Volunteer and Career Fire and EMS providers are ready to respond in this time of concern.\u00a0 The Office of Emergency Services is working with NYS Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to insure that resources are moved into Chautauqua County as needed.\u00a0 I have been in contact with neighboring counties and can report that all Counties in Western NY are all working to be prepared for what may come.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel declared a State of Emergency at 5 p.m. on Sunday due to the novel Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19). The local state of emergency will remain in effect for a period not to exceed thirty days or until rescinded, whichever occurs first, and may also be extended for additional periods not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":33555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[4],"tags":[506,9931,9930,651,8200,8124,9944,1802],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/COVID-19-Press-Conference.jpg?fit=1039%2C730&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YlJ4-8Jc","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34077,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wendel-extends-county-state-of-emergency-for-an-additional-30-days\/","url_meta":{"origin":33554,"position":0},"title":"Wendel Extends County State of Emergency for An Additional 30 Days","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"April 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"[MEDIA RELEASE] Screening Protocols for Visitors to County Facilities Will Take Effect Thursday MAYVILLE - Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel extended Chautauqua County\u2019s State of Emergency for up to 30 additional days as of 5p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, 2020 due to the continuing novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. COVID-19 is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Local News"","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/chautauqua-county-seal-2006-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":48224,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/schuyler-out-as-director-of-chautauqua-county-department-of-health-and-human-services\/","url_meta":{"origin":33554,"position":1},"title":"Schuyler Out as Director of Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"November 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The head of the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services is out as the County plans to reorganize the department Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel announced that Christine Schuyler would be departing as Director effective November 29, 2022. He said in a release that her current term expires\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Local News"","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Christine-Schuyler.jpg?fit=809%2C627&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Christine-Schuyler.jpg?fit=809%2C627&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Christine-Schuyler.jpg?fit=809%2C627&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Christine-Schuyler.jpg?fit=809%2C627&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48422,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/county-health-board-president-expresses-concern-for-county-health-dept-with-departure-of-director\/","url_meta":{"origin":33554,"position":2},"title":"County Health Board President Expresses Concern for County Health Dept. with Departure of Director","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"December 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Chautauqua County Board of Health President is expressing concern for the County Health Department with the departure of Christine Schuyler. 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