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County DMVs return to full walk-in service May 17

Chautauqua County Clerk Larry Barmore announced Friday that starting on Monday, May 17, all transactions at the three Department of Motor Vehicles offices will be available for walk-in service. Persons requiring permit or CDL testing will no longer have to make an appointment. The following rules will be in effect at all offices. ¯ All persons will wait outside of the office until instructed to enter. ¯ All persons will social distance and wear a mask at all times. ¯ Only the person making the transaction is allowed in the building. ¯ No children are allowed in the ...

NY to push to get subway riders, college students vaccinated

ALBANY (AP) — As the pace of COVD-19 vaccinations has slowed, New York officials are trying a mix of mandates and incentives to overcome hesitancy, including free subway rides. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state can't mandate vaccines until they get full approval from the federal ...

Vaccinations help our economy continue to open

As more and more New Yorkers get vaccinated, the state continues to lift restrictions for all types of businesses and venues. Governor Cuomo recently announced that effective May 19 most business capacity caps will be removed and businesses will be limited only by the space available for patrons to remain safely physically distanced. These changes will impact commercial settings, food services, gyms, amusements, entertainment, salons, houses of worship, and more. At the same time, venues that host sporting events, performing arts, and catered events will be able to operate at 30% ...

Schools ramp up vaccinations

GOWANDA — The Gowanda Central School District, working with Cattaraugus County, will be holding a vaccination clinic located at the Gowanda Middle School. The clinic will be on Tuesday. Students ranging from the ages of 16 to 18, as well as staff members who haven’t been vaccinated, can ...

Partner’s death came after couple ‘avoided everything’

Carrie Wolfgang assumed the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic had passed. The numbers, released daily by the Chautauqua County Department of Health and reported by the media, had long come down from the early months of the pandemic when dozens — if not hundreds — of new confirmed cases were ...

More than half of adults vaccinated in county

More than half of Chautauqua County’s population over the age of 18 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the state Health Department reported. To date, 43,765 county residents have completed their vaccination series, meaning they have received both doses of the two-shot COVID vaccine or have received the one-dose shot. Meanwhile, 52,511 county residents have received at least one dose. In Cattaraugus County, 22,571 have completed their vaccinations series while 26,599 have received at least one shot. There have been several vaccination clinics taking place ...