Breaking News

The Rockland County Health Department is requiring all educational institutions, childcare programs and school transportation companies to require and ensure all children and students over age two wear masks at all times, except for approved breaks, or risk fines up to $2,000 per violation per day. The move comes as COVID numbers spike in Ramapo and Spring Valley. Rockland County executive Ed Day says violations can be reported to the County’s COVID-19 Hotline at 845-238-1956 on Monday-Friday from 8am – 5pm or by email to COVIDCallCenter@co.rockland.ny.us.

A group of Rockland Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish rabbis has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block Governor Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-19 restrictions, on the grounds that he has targeted their religion and violated their constitutional rights. The Journal News says suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday. The complaint alleges the governor’s Executive Order was based on “fear, and not on any objective data.”

COVID-19 by the numbers now, here in Rockland, we’ve got one in the hospital being examined, another 19 have been confirmed with coronavirus, and a total of 1,340 active cases. The state says since the crisis began, we’ve had a total of 16,972 reported cases, 81 more than Thursday, and the Rockland Health Department says we have 680 total fatalities.

Emergency responders from the State Police, Rockland Sheriff’s department Stony Point Fire Department and others recovered the body of an unidentified person who jumped from the Bear Mountain Bridge early yesterday morning. State Police say around 7:40 a.m. a Bear Mountain State Park Police Officer saw a car parked on the bridge facing west with its hazards on. Seeing no one in the car, the officer then spotted a body floating in the water. Rockland County Sheriff Lou Falco says the weather was ideal and conditions were favorable for the search…

State Police say members of the Stony Point Fire Department recovered the body, and the person was the owner of the car parked on the bridge. No further details were available.

A positive COVID-19 test and a staffing shortage have reportedly prompted the Pearl River High School to go all-remote for the next two weeks. That’s according to DailyVoice.com, which says Pearl River High School principal Michael Murphy has worked with the Rockland County Department of Health to determine who may have been exposed. Those students and staffers will be quarantined for two weeks as a precaution. Students will reportedly return to a hybrid learning model on Thursday the 22nd. St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill is in a “safety pause” for at least a week after getting four positive tests last week. All instruction this week is being conducted remotely.

New York’s governor is blaming COVID clusters in Ramapo red zones on members of the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities who didn’t follow the rules when the pandemic began and the local leaders who didn’t enforce them. That’s according to the Journal News. In a press conference on Monday, governor Andrew Cuomo said we could still be dealing with COVID for at least another year.

COVID-19 by the numbers now, here in Rockland, we’ve got three in the hospital being examined, another 28 have been confirmed with coronavirus, and a total of 1,582 active cases. The state says since the crisis began, we’ve had a total of 16,760 reported cases, 161 more than Monday, and the Rockland Health Department says we have 679 total fatalities, no change for the last week.

Ramapo is expecting the state to send resources to assist with enforcement in the clusters where COVID has spiked recently in the town. Ramapo supervisor Michael Specht says education efforts with the community will continue, and they’ll continue to police the situation the way they have been…

Ramapo police chief Brad Weidel says if anyone sees something wrong with social distancing regulations, they need to contact the police department…

Several Ramapo streets near a cemetery are closed in Ramapo to prevent large crowds from gathering at the grave of Rabbi Chaim Zanvil Abramowitz. Route 306 between Grandview Avenue and Kearsing Parkway, and Viola Road between West Maple Avenue and Union Road are closed all day today except to local traffic. Over the years, thousands have come to visit the grave of Rabbi Abramowitz, who died in October 1995.

The East Ramapo school district is extending remote learning for the entire district due to the COVID spikes. In a post on their website, the district said remote learning is extended for two weeks. The district had planned on phasing in hybrid learning for some grade levels today.

The Governor’s Cluster Action Initiative has also forced the temporary closure of Finkelstein Memorial Library in Spring Valley. In a post on their website, the library said they expect to remain closed until at least Monday, October 19th. All library services that are usually provided in the building are suspended until further notice, but their virtual services remain operational.

And a federal judge late Friday refused to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the governor’s executive order imposing restrictions on religious gatherings.

COVID-19 by the numbers now, here in Rockland, we’ve got one in the hospital being examined, another 24 have been confirmed with coronavirus, and a total of 1,582 active cases. The state says since the crisis began, we’ve had a total of 16,599 reported cases, 145 more than Friday, and the Rockland Health Department says we have 679 total fatalities, that’s unchanged since last Tuesday.

New restrictions on various COVID cluster zones around the state, including Rockland and Orange Counties, went into effect at 12:01am tonight. Four inspectors from the Rockland County Department of Health have been trained and are ready to participate alongside New York State Police officials.

And you may have already received an extra warning about the new restrictions form the county, which yesterday used the reverse 9-1-1 system to notify residents in the hot zones of the new restrictions. 29,000 landlines in those zones got the call, with another 200,000 phones county-wide expected to get the same message. The message directs people to visit the Rockland Cluster Action Initiative page on RocklandGov.com for additional details.

For the red zone in the Monsey, Kaser and New Square areas of Ramapo, the new guidelines restrict indoor worship to 25% of capacity with a ten-person maximum, schools are closed, only essential businesses can operate, dining is limited to take-out only, and mass gatherings are prohibited.

In a recent post on Twitter, Ramapo legislator Aron Weider posted a video in Yiddush, and said protecting lives is an integral part of the Jewish faith.

Weider said you should wear a mask – NOT for Governor Cuomo but because it is what God wants us as Orthodox Jews to do.

New York State Zone has an Address Lookup Map so you can see if you are in the yellow or red zones and what restrictions you may face. COVID-19 by the numbers now, here in Rockland, we’ve got four in the hospital being examined, another 19 have been confirmed with coronavirus, and a total of 1,500 active cases. The state says since the crisis began, we’ve had a total of 16,454 reported cases, 198 more than Thursday, and the Rockland Health Department says we have 679 total fatalities.