5 things to know this Thursday April 9
ALBANY, N.Y (NEWS10) — Good Morning, Capital Region. It’s Thursday April 9 and here are some things you should know to start your morning.
- Starting with some things that are #HappeningToday:
- A plane filled with one million surgical masks will arrive to Albany from Guangzhou, China. They will be unloaded this morning and sent to a state collection center.
- A COVID-19 testing site will open at the Warren County Municipal Center campus today. The testing site will be open for drive-up public testing to those who have been approved for a test from their medical provider. Testing will be available for those who live in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton and Essex counties. The site will handle 50 or so tests per day between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- It’s Yellow Ribbon Day! A day celebrating the brave men and women who serve in the armed forces. The Town of Halfmoon usually holds a ceremony every April 9th to honor those currently serving but are unable to physically host one this year due to the PAUSE order. Halfmoon Supervisor Kevin Tollisen is encouraging the members of his community to set aside some time to reflect and honor those serving on this day.
2. Here are some top headlines:
- Albany health department looking for Latham Burger King visitors: The Albany County Department of Health wants to contact anyone who visited Burger King at 663 Loudon Road in Latham—including the drive-thru!—on specific dates from March 26 to April 2. The health department says this is a precautionary and preventive safety measure to address potential exposure to the coronavirus. If you think this might apply to you, CLICK HERE.
- CDTA working hard to keep everyone safe during pandemic: Starting this week, those who rely on CDTA are now required to use the rear door to get on and off the busses. Those with special needs however, can still use the front door. But since fare collection is up located near the drivers, the company has decided to cancel fares for the time being.
- Schenectady General Electric workers join national protest, want to make ventilators: Organizers claimed the protest was held because of GE’s response to the coronavirus crisis, as well as some concerns about worker safety. They claim the company’s manufacturing capacity has been underutilized, and the production of life-saving ventilators should be accelerated. To vie a full list of claims by the protesters and to hear the company’s response: CLICK HERE.
3. Governor Cuomo updates on New York State:
- Cuomo said the state will give people an additional $600 in unemployment covgerage to be re-reimbursed later by the federal government. He added benefits will be extended from 36 weeks to 39 weeks.
- He also pledged to investigate why minorities are suffering disproportionately from the virus. He called on SUNY Albany President Havidan Rodriguez to work alongside the State Department of Health and Northwell Health to conduct more research and increase testing in minority communities.
- New Yorkers will be able to vote with absentee ballots in the June 23rd primaries.
4. Bernie Sanders drops out of 2020 race: Senator Bernie Sanders ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, making Joe Biden the Democratic nominee to face President Donald Trump in the 2020 general election campaign.
5. Updated Coronavirus case numbers in the Capital Region:
On Wednesday, New York State saw 779 deaths from coronavirus, to date it is the highest death toll seen in a single day for the state from the virus. Cuomo directed all flags to be flown at half staff in honor of those who lost their battle to the virus.
There were 149,316 total positive cases of coronavirus in the state as of Wednesday morning.
NEWS10 created a spreadsheet to show coronavirus trends over time. We update that information daily based on the numbers given by county officials. For the best representation for coronavirus numbers in your area, we’ll keep you informed at NEWS10.
County by County, we are still seeing an increase in cases. Here are the numbers according to the New York State Department of Health as of Wednesday afternoon.
| County | Positive Cases |
|---|---|
| Albany | 342 |
| Columbia | 63 |
| Dutchess | 1,395 |
| Fulton | 14 |
| Greene | 25 |
| Hamilton | 2 |
| Herkimer | 29 |
| Montgomery | 18 |
| Rensselaer | 75 |
| Saratoga | 162 |
| Schenectady | 149 |
| Schoharie | 12 |
| Ulster | 422 |
| Warren | 33 |
| Washington | 20 |
And on to some good things happening in our community…
We continue to be #CapitalRegionStrong! This local group fed health care workers at Albany Medical Center as a thanks for their work in keeping people healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can read all about Feed Albany… CLICK HERE.
And practicing social distancing, even with the newborns. Check out this photo that was sent to us, a family meeting their new grandchild through social distancing.
