Coronavirus Updates for Nov. 23: Death Toll Reaches 1,500 in Westchester County

Westchester County has now recorded 1,500 COVID-19-related fatalities since the start of the pandemic, with one more death reported on Sunday.

Coronavirus cases increased by 372 on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 46,841 since mid-March, state data shows. Westchester now has 4,662 active coronavirus cases.

Overall, more than 1 million people have been tested for coronavirus in Westchester, with 9,875 individuals assessed on Sunday, according to state data. The county’s positivity rate increased to 4.6 percent, with a seven-day rolling average of 3.77 percent.

As of Thursday, there were 135 hospitalizations, according to County Executive George Latimer.

Putnam County saw six additional coronavirus cases on Sunday, a 42-case decline over the previous day. The county’s total caseload has reached 2,362 since mid-March.

The county’s positivity rate is currently 3.1 percent, with a seven-day rolling average of 4.26 percent. As of Saturday, the county has 414 active cases, according to state data.

There have been 64 coronavirus-related cases in Putnam. No new deaths were reported on Sunday.

Statewide there were 5,391 new positive cases, with the positivity rate falling slightly to 2.74 percent. That state recorded 30 additional COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 26,356.

Total hospitalizations are at 2,562, an increase of 119 over the previous day, according to state data.

Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus in Westchester & Putnam counties on Nov. 23

Latimer will hold a COVID-19 briefing at 2 p.m. on Facebook Live. Click here to watch.

After Putnam County saw coronavirus cases surge after Halloween, officials are encouraging residents to be responsible and make safe decisions as Thanksgiving approaches.

Putnam’s Deputy County Executive Tom Feighery said the area saw a direct correlation between people letting their guard down and COVID-19 transmissions in the six days following Halloween. Since Oct. 31, the area has seen 517 new positive cases.

“What we’ve seen, and it wasn’t through businesses and it wasn’t through schools, it was primarily through family gatherings and parties, and unfortunately part of that is letting our guard down and fatigue,” Feighery said. “It didn’t help that Halloween was on a Saturday and the weather was beautiful and people were around each other way too long of a period of time in a social setting.”

As cases continue to rise locally, Feighery hopes residents will remain vigilant to ensure businesses and schools aren’t forced to shutter if designated a yellow, orange or red zone by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The designations would require added restrictions be implemented to reduce the infection rate.

“The message really needs to go back to the families; take responsibility for your kids, your household,” he said. “Through the holidays make your gatherings small, keep it to a limited number of people and again keep the elder populations safe. If that’s not enough to make some habit changes, I don’t know what is.”

School News & Business Closures 

School

• Peekskill City School District will be on a remote learning model on Monday and Tuesday.
• Buchanan-Verplanck Elementary School will transition to remote learning on Monday.
• Somers High School will be fully remote Monday.
• Somers Intermediate School will provide remote learning for Grade 5 due to a number of teachers and staff in quarantine.
• Primrose Elementary School will provide remote learning for Grades 1 and 2 on Monday and Tuesday.
• Ossining Union Free School District will be fully remote this week.
• Pocantico Hills Central School District will be providing remote instruction this week. Schools will reopen on Nov. 30.
• Lakeland High School will be fully remote through Dec. 4.
• The City School District of New Rochelle is going all-virtual, except for a cohort of special education students, until Dec. 3
• Byram Hills High School currently has 19 students in quarantine through Nov. 30.
• Valhalla Middle School will be operating on a fully remote learning model through Nov. 30. The Odin cohort will resume in-person learning on Dec. 2.
• North Salem Central School District will reopen for in-person learning on Nov. 30.
• Westlake Middle School will reopen for hybrid, in-person instruction on Nov. 30.
• Kent Elementary School will be fully remote until Nov. 30
• Matthew Paterson Elementary School will be fully remote until Nov. 30.

Business

• Mt. Kisco Seafood will remain closed until all staff members have tested negative for COVID-19. The decision to shut down comes after possible exposure to the virus.
• Basilico Pizza in Mt. Kisco will close until further notice after staff members displayed symptoms of COVID-19. The business will reopen after everyone has received negative test results.
• Peppino’s Restaurant in Katonah will close temporarily due to COVID-19 exposure and reopen on Nov. 28.

Putnam County COVID-19 Health Advisories

Here are the latest health advisories issued by the Putnam County Department of Health. Those who worked at or visited these businesses on these dates and times are being asked to monitor their symptoms after members of the public tested positive for COVID-19.

• Ministerio Internacional Campamento De Jehova at 407 Route 6 in Mahopac on Nov. 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The advisory will expire on Nov. 30.
• Mahopac Golf & Beach Club at 601 North Lake Boulevard from Nov. 12 to Nov. 14 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The advisory will lift on Nov. 29.
• ShopRite Supermarket at 184 Route 52 in Carmel was exposed on Nov. 12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The advisory will expire on Nov. 27.

Westchester Active Coronavirus Cases by Municipality 

Here are the active cases by municipality in Westchester as of Friday. With a lag between the total number of cases confirmed by the state and the tally of cases by town, the total number of municipal cases might be slightly different than what the county’s active cases reflects.

• Ardsley – 8
• Bedford – 73
• Briarcliff Manor – 24
• Bronxville – 15
• Buchanan – 7
• Cortlandt – 93
• Croton-on-Hudson – 24
• Dobbs Ferry – 43
• Eastchester – 73
• Elmsford – 19
• Greenburgh – 114
• Harrison – 110
• Hastings-on-Hudson – 21
• Irvington – 12
• Larchmont – 16
• Lewisboro – 41
• Mamaroneck Town – 31
• Mamaroneck Village – 72
• Mount Kisco – 76
• Mount Pleasant – 69
• Mount Vernon – 224
• New Castle – 51
• New Rochelle – 387
• North Castle – 44
• North Salem – 24
• Ossining Town – 20
• Ossining Village – 178
• Peekskill – 165
• Pelham – 14
• Pelham Manor – 13
• Pleasantville – 28
• Port Chester – 244
• Pound Ridge – 9
• Rye Brook – 47
• Rye City – 51
• Scarsdale – 31
• Sleepy Hollow – 87
• Somers – 68
• Tarrytown – 32
• Tuckahoe – 17
• White Plains – 191
• Yonkers – 607
• Yorktown – 168

If your business or school district may have been exposed to COVID-19, please email ayoung@theexaminernews.com to be placed on our daily COVID-19 list.