We, at the local level, can do our part to limit the spread of the Coronavirus into our community by following some commonsense guidelines, such as these recommended by the Center for Disease Control:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
We are in touch daily with Orange County Emergency Management and have implemented recommendations by suspending meetings of our Senior Clubs until the end of March and also any groups of 20 or more that meet in Town facilities. Avoiding large group gatherings of more than 500 people is something we all can do with minimum effect on daily life. We must remember, however, that our local small businesses need to be supported as many won’t survive having no business for weeks or months; use commonsense precautions, but please support these neighbors in our Villages and Town. It is also important in containing the spread that if you feel like you may have been exposed do not go to your doctor’s office or emergency room before calling them for instructions on getting tested.
Here in the Town offices we are open for business, public surfaces are cleaned daily, hand sanitizer is available and staff is ready to serve you. Our transportation system of buses are cleaned every day and common surfaces wiped down so the public should feel confident in traveling via the bus system. We will continue to place updates on our Facebook page and www.townofwarwick.org.
It is Census time, and if you haven’t received a mailing yet you will shortly. The mailing is an invitation to visit my2020census.gov, enter the Census ID on the mailing and answer the few simple questions asked. Why is this important? It is important to get 100% compliance because our population count determines how much of the $681 billion we send to Washington comes back to us for roads, infrastructure improvements and government services. It also determines how many representatives we are entitled to on the federal, state and county levels. Most importantly for residents of the Town of Warwick is that our sales tax sharing agreement with Orange County determines our share of that sales tax by the population of our town. Currently we receive about $3,000,000 annually to reduce the tax burden on our residents. So, please take the time as soon as you get your Census mailing to go online and fill it out. If you don’t, by Apr. 1 a census worker will attempt to visit you and get the information in person.
The next regular meeting of the Town Board will be held on Thurs., Mar. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Warwick Town Hall, located at 132 Kings Hwy. in Warwick.
The above column, written by Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton, has been published in the Mar. 18 issue of the Warwick Valley Dispatch.
