City Hall Limits Access As Nation's 1st Hot Spot Deals With Surge
NEW ROCHELLE, NY — As the nation's first hot spot grapples with a new surge in coronavirus cases, access to New Rochelle City Hall is by appointment only as of Monday.
New Rochelle had 416 active coronavirus cases Monday, according to Westchester County officials. It was given yellow zone status Thursday,
"While City office access will move to appointment-only, our services to the public will continue uninterrupted," said City Manager Charles Strome in the announcement. "Parks and the marina are open, sanitation, recycling and fall leaves will be picked up as scheduled and police, fire and emergency services remain 24/7."
Also, the Hugh A. Doyle Senior Center will close in-person programs though services will continue by appointment. For more information visit the website.
Appointments can be made by contacting departments directly during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 26 and 27.
Many city services can be accessed online. Phone numbers are listed for each department on the City website www.newrochelleny.com.
Due to limited resources, all requests for police records (incident reports, accident reports, records search, letters of good conduct, etc.) should be made by calling the Records Unit at (914) 654-2235. Records Unit employees will then be able to facilitate the request either electronically or will direct the inquiry to the best procedure for record retrieval.
Under yellow zone regulations, the following restrictions are implemented:
Indoor and outdoor dining is permitted, but there is a four-person maximum per table; bars and restaurants must still close at 10 p.m.; and late-night takeout is permitted.
Schools can remain open, however 20 percent of the weekly in-student and teacher population must be tested.
In-home private gatherings are limited to 10 people.
All other nonessential gatherings are limited to 25 people, whether indoors or outdoors.
Capacity at houses or worship is limited to 50 percent.
To report a violation call the State’s Task Force at 1-833-789-0470 or the New Rochelle City Manager's Office at (914) 654-2140.
New Rochelle was the first hot spot in the nation at the beginning of the pandemic, though the containment zone in March was centered around a synagogue in the northern portion of the city. SEE: Coronavirus In New Rochelle: Life At The Epicenter
In a statement to Patch last week, Mayor Noam Bramson said the yellow zone designation "should serve as a significant warning to residents in all neighborhoods of New Rochelle that COVID rates are rising fast." If the virus isn't brought under control, further restrictions will be necessary, he said.
"New Rochelle has faced this challenge before, and we will face it again with determination, calm, and respect for all of our neighbors," he said.
For the latest information on coronavirus visit the city's webpage, Westchester County's webpage, or call Westchester 2-1-1.
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This article originally appeared on the New Rochelle Patch
