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Bill calls for college students to get COVID-19 vaccine

Legislation introduced this week in the state Senate would require all students attending a college or university in New York state to get a COVID-19 vaccination. S.6495 was introduced by Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-New York City, to amend the state Public Health Law to require students provide proof of immunization against COVID-19. Hoylman’s legislation adds COVID-19 to the list of immunizations colleges in New York already require for students: measles, mumps and rubella. Hoylman pointed to COVID case spikes last year that happened independent of the first and second national ...

Blue Jays shuffling back to Buffalo starting June 1

BUFFALO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays are returning to their home away from home, Buffalo, starting in June. And this time, they'll have a limited number of fans in attendance. Forced from Canada by that government's coronavirus travel restrictions, the Blue Jays posted a note on their ...

Governor Cuomo removes capacity limits, except 6-foot social distancing

Capacity restrictions on most New York businesses will end on May 19 — though 6 feet of social distancing will still be in effect. On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced capacity restrictions on businesses — including restaurants, offices, beauty salons, gyms — will be lifted in New ...

EXECUTIVE ORDER Dishing out more criticism for edict

What, exactly, took legislative Democrats so long to decide the time was right to repeal an executive order requiring diners to purchase food if they were having an alcoholic beverage? Democrats spoke eloquently Wednesday about the importance of checks and balances and respecting businesses and New Yorkers. Sen. John Mannion, D-Onondaga County, said the repeal was about rescinding arbitrary and burdnesome executive orders and foundational constitutional principles. Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Plattsburgh, went so far as to call the rule nonsensical. Those issues didn’t change from ...

Vaccination is best defense for U.S.

There have been some polls taken recently which indicate that up to 25% of Americans surveyed were not planning on being vaccinated. That is hard for me to understand. When I was a kid, getting vaccinated was an automatic thing in our family. Whether it was for measles, small pox or polio — my Mom made sure that we were always vaccinated. The same was true in the military. Before we shipped out to Vietnam, we were all lined up and given a bevy of shots with a big gun pushed against our shoulder which injected various vaccines into us using high pressure, compressed air. Nobody ...

Chautauqua county marks national infant immunization week

MAYVILLE — National Infant Immunization Week was held April 24 through May 1 to celebrate the role vaccination plays in protecting the health of children and families. County officials are reminding parents of the importance of staying up to date with routinely recommended vaccines, even during COVID-19. “As warmer weather brings more opportunities for in-person, physically distanced activities, I encourage you to make sure your child is up to date on vaccines and if they’ve fallen behind, it’s essential that they catch up,” said Christine Schuyler, county public health ...