Unfortunately, life as we have known it for so long has changed for the time being.
As we’ve all seen in the media, Coronavirus is an extremely infectious virus. We discourage you from engaging in activities which up until a few weeks ago were considered completely normal. Please, for the benefit of the community, practice social distancing. We know that you are sick and tired of the repetitiveness of this phrase. Please know that we have everyone’s best interest at heart. Your safety is our goal. If you are in self-isolation, please don’t allow your children to play outside or have playdates. Please – stop all playdates, and if you’re quarantined, please refrain from all interactions with people outside of your household. Also, please don’t organize food trucks or ice cream trucks.
Here are some alarming statistics – in the past 24 hours, there have been:
- 44 new confirmed cases in Westchester County.
- As of today, Rye Brook has 33 Coronavirus cases.
The number of Rye Brook cases will continue to increase, and there’s a good possibility that we may see deaths from Coronavirus right here in Rye Brook. According to the NYS Department of Health, we are not due to reach the apex of this outbreak until 2-3 weeks from now. It’s going to continue getting worse before it gets better.
I cannot STRESS enough the importance of walking AT LEAST 6 feet apart. I see residents walking around walking shoulder to shoulder. Please stop it! Walking shoulder to shoulder spreads the virus unknowingly. I am in contact with two doctors at White Plains Hospital, and they have told me that it is increasingly becoming overcrowded with younger patients. Recently, there was a 27-year-old attorney with no medical history admitted and is very sick with Coronavirus. I am not telling you this to scare you. I would advise you to have serious discussions with your children about social distancing. Their age group is not immune, and neither are we. The curve will not flatten until we really adhere to this. If our kids can’t adhere to this, they should stay home and video chat, or walk with family members. I do not think our children understand the gravity of what is going on, and the hospitals are seeing more and more child patients.
We are so concerned about the spread of Coronavirus, it may get to the point where we have the police fine people if they can’t observe these guidelines. We really don’t want to get to that point, but may have to take these actions if necessary. We are all in this together. We can stop the spread and flatten the curve.
One final thought – please take 5 minutes to complete the 2020 United States Census. Rye Brook has a 40% completion rate as of yesterday, and not completing it could cost the Village hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal aid and grants.
If you have any questions, I can be reached at mayor@ryebrook.org
Thank you,
Paul S. Rosenberg
Mayor