Summer not lost for area children
Some day camps to open
With Phase 2 of the Mid-Hudson Region’s reopening now in progress, schools are coming up with innovate ways to hold graduation ceremonies, and day camps are finding alternatives that will allow them to operate without putting their young charges at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
The YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County said Wednesday that it will operate its summer day camps this year at under 50 percent of the permitted capacities.
In an email to parents, Y officials offered thanks for “patience and understanding during these ever-changing times” and said operating the camps with fewer children than usual is being done out of “an abundance of caution.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that summer day camps in New York state can operate starting June 29. No decision about sleep-away camps has been announced,
The YMCA runs summer days camps at its building on Broadway in Midtown Kingston, at Lenape Elementary School in New Paltz and at the Seewackamano property in the town of Olive.
The Y said it will follow all U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, staff members will wear masks, and there will be frequent hand washing and thorough cleanings. Additionally Seewackamano campers and staff will have their temperatures taken upon arrival and before boarding buses.
Also, social distancing practices will be used as much as possible, outdoor play will be prioritized, and there will be increased ventilation when time indoors is necessary, the Y said.
The town of Saugerties also is going ahead with its summer day camp program this year. Half-day and full-day programs will operate from July 6 to Aug. 14, with
some restrictions because of the social-distancing rules and the state’s limit on gatherings.
Kingston canceled all of its summer youth programs in May, though city officials recently said they’ll revisit the decision in light of Cuomo’s announcement.
The towns of Ulster and Wawarsing also have canceled their summer youth programs, and Ulster reaffirmed that decision after the governor’s announcement.
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In other local coronavirus news:
• Saugerties and Onteora high schools have announced graduations that conform with state guidelines.
Saugerties will have a drive-in ceremony June 26 on the high school grounds. Onteora will have a car caravan of seniors on June 25.
• Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said Wednesday that he has appointed several county residents to his Housing Advisory Committee, an effort to address the current shortage of housing and the potential for COVID-19 to exacerbate the problem.
The committee will assess the causes and drivers of the shortage and recommend strategies the county can pursue in conjunction with municipal, business, and community partners.
The committee members are: Kathy Germain, vice president of housing services for RUPCO; Rick Alfandre, CEO of Alfandre Architecture; Hayes Clement, a real estate broker with Berkshire Hathaway; Tom Smiley, CEO of the Mohonk Mountain House; Richard Parete, supervisor of the town of Marbletown; Laura Petit, an Ulster County legislator from Port Ewen; Deb Dewan, a member of the Woodstock Housing Committee; Erica Brown, community outreach coordinator for Radio Kingston; and Debbie Briggs, vice president of human resources and community relations for Ellenville Regional Hospital.
• During a Facebook Live event Wednesday, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said the county had not updated its online COVID-19 statistics since June 4 because it is awaiting state contact tracing statistics.
On June 4, Dutchess reported 3,984 confirmed cases of the illness, 1,333 active cases, 2,509 recoveries and 142 deaths.
Molinaro said he expects the website to be updated Thursday and show a “significant reduction in active cases” due to tracing.
By the numbers
Ulster County on Wednesday said it had had 1,765 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 1,242 recoveries and 83 deaths since the outbreak began. It said 440 cases were active.
Greene County reported 310 cases, 18 active cases and 18 deaths.
Columbia County reported 407 cases, 35 active cases and 37 deaths.