Dear neighbor,
Our Hudson Valley and Catskills communities are now in Phase Four of the reopening process, which includes institutions of higher learning, indoor and outdoor museums, outdoor agritourism, media production, and more. For more information and to access detailed guidance for businesses permitted to open in Phase Four, click here.
Phase Four advancement also means that all gatherings of up to 50 people are permitted, provided that masks are worn and social distancing protocols are adhered to. While we have made tremendous progress in New York in reducing the incidence of hospitalizations and deaths due to the measures we have undertaken, we are by no means in the clear. It is critically important that we continue to follow public health protocols, as recommended by health experts, which can be reviewed here on the CDC’s website.
INCOME TAX DEADLINE, DMV, & TRAVEL ADVISORY UPDATES
STATE & FEDERAL INCOME TAX RETURNS DUE ON JULY 15
A reminder for taxpayers that the deadline to file your state and federal income tax returns is July 15.
DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (DMV) UPDATE
Some DMV offices are beginning to partially reopen, though many transactions can be completed online without having to go to an office. Expiration dates for license and registration transactions have been extended, and the REAL ID deadline is now September 30, 2021. More information and timely updates can be accessed HERE on the DMV’s website and on county websites below.
NEW STATES ADDED TO MANDATORY 14-DAY QUARANTINE FOR INDIVIDUALS TRAVELING TO NY, CT, & NJ FROM HIGH-RISK STATES:
New York, together with Connecticut and New Jersey, has imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for individuals traveling from states with high infection rates. (This applies to states with a positive testing rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.) At this time, the mandatory 14-day quarantine applies to individuals traveling from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.
HAVE YOU FILLED OUT YOUR 2020 CENSUS YET?
Right now, our district’s average census response rate is a measly 49.09%. Let’s get to 100!
Filling out your census questionnaire is one of the most important things you can do to support your community. An accurate count is key to ensuring that our Hudson Valley and Catskills communities receive federal funding for public health, schools, emergency services, libraries, and so much more. The deadline to respond to the 2020 Census has been extended to August 14, and can be completed online at My2020Census.gov.
AROUND THE DISTRICT
Cutting the Ribbon on Gardiner’s New Electric Vehicle Charging Station
Last week we cut the ribbon in Gardiner for the new public electric vehicle (EV) charging station, thanks to the leadership of Town Supervisor Marybeth Majestic and the Climate Smart Gardiner Task Force. This is a win-win both for the environment and the local economy as people make the switch to an EV and choose towns to visit and vacation that have this infrastructure. The new Gardiner charging station is located at the entrance of the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, near the Gardiner Library–two great places to spend some time while charging! While there, I gave a little demonstration using my own Chevy Bolt, which you can view here!
Presenting a Check to Sullivan County Nonprofit, A Single Bite, to Aid Food Insecure Households
Last week, I joined Operation Feed (an initiative of the Liberty Rotary Club) which generously presented a check for over $17,000 to nonprofit organization A Single Bite, and will help the program to continue supplying meals to families in need in Sullivan County. To date, A Single Bite has prepared over 20,000 meals for food insecure families in Sullivan County, sourcing ingredients, where possible, from local farms.
Delivering Hand Sanitizer to Seventh Day Adventist Food Pantry in Deerpark
At Seventh Day Adventist Food Pantry in Deerpark, I met volunteers Carol and Linda who told me that the pantry accommodates a mixture of delivery and curbside pickup and they have plenty of fresh food delivered by Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County’s awesome gleaning program! I want to give a special shoutout to Carol, who goes above and beyond to make sure that community members have what they need, going door-to-door to deliver fresh produce to residents at mobile and manufactured home parks in the community.
REMINDER: My office has created an interactive map to help residents locate food pantries in their area, which can be accessed HERE.
IN THE NEWS
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call my Middletown office at (845) 344-3311 or my Liberty office at (845) 292-0215. And, as always, our COVID-19 Information & Resource Guide is a good source to consult for timely and accurate information.
Wishing you and your loved ones good health,
Senator Jen Metzger
Let’s Keep in Touch ↓
