Tuesday September 8, 2020 |
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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced today that four states have been added to the the New York State's COVID-19 travel advisory. Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands have been removed.
States and Areas Added:
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Ohio
- West Virginia
States Removed:
- Puerto Rico
- US Virgin Islands
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Enrollment Centers Open for Global Entry But Not Yet Nexus or FAST |
U.S. Customs & Border Protection has re-opened its Trusted Traveler Enrollment Centers as of September 8th. However, while enrollments may be done for the Global Entry program, enrollment is not yet available for NEXUS or FAST as these require joint participation by CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) personnel who are not being permitted by Canada to staff centers at such sites as Champlain. Recently CBSA announced that Canadian NEXUS and FAST enrollment centers will remain closed until at least October 5th. |
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Re-opening of Schools in the North Country |
As the beginning of the new school year approaches, anxiety about the re-
opening of schools is evident and expected. While active cases of COVID-19 have remained relatively low in Clinton County throughout the phased reopening, many residents have expressed concerns about potential outbreaks in schools when in-person education resumes. As of 8:00 am Friday, September 4, there were three
active cases of COVID-19 in Clinton County. However, as recent outbreaks in neighboring counties and across the country have shown, the risk for increased cases of illness persists.
“Re-opening schools and universities is critical for the educational and social development of students of all ages. It is also necessary to re-open these institutions for many parents who need to return to work. At the same time, we want to ensure that schools open in a manner that prioritizes the health and safety of students, teachers, school staff, their families, and the community at large. These are not mutually exclusive goals,” stated John Kanoza, Director of Public Health in Clinton County. “Our goal is to reduce, to the greatest
extent possible, transmission of disease to students, teachers, and staff in the school setting which will help prevent infection in the wider community. This means taking steps to mitigate spread once in-person learning is reinstated.”
Local colleges and school districts have done extensive work and planning to ensure the safest possible return for students and staff. Schools and universities have systems in place to ensure that mask-wearing, hand washing, physical distancing, and sanitation guidelines are consistently followed by staff, students, and their families on school grounds. While oversight of schools and approval of re-opening plans occur at the state-level, local health officials have been in close communications with both Champlain Valley
Educational Services (CVES) and individual school districts, providing guidance where appropriate to ensure as safe of a re-opening as possible.
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Canada won’t host luge world championships |
Bobsled-skeleton worlds in Lake Placid are still on, for now...
Canada will not host the luge world championships next year, with officials announcing Wednesday that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic left them no choice but to consider another site.
The biggest impediment was the 14-day quarantine that would be required of any foreign athlete entering Canada for the championships, which were to take place from Feb. 5-7 in British Columbia at the Whistler Sliding Center — built for the 2010 Olympics.
Canadian officials could not guarantee that quarantine rule would be lifted by February, and that forced the International Luge Federation to cancel the plans to hold worlds in Whistler.
“Unfortunately, a proper realization of this major event is not possible under the given conditions and regulations,” FIL Executive Director Christoph Schweiger said.
The FIL said its Executive Board will decide on an alternative venue in the coming weeks.
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VIRTUAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING SERIES: Business Etiquette & Ethics |
The degree to which your business practices etiquette and acts with integrity forms the very core of your workplace culture. Together, workplace etiquette and ethics form the foundation of your employee code of conduct. Sometimes, these days, it seems that etiquette and ethics are missing from many areas of our life.
The way that your employees interact with each other, with management, customers, and all others reflects on your team, business, and brand as much as any advertisement. Enhance your workplace culture and distinguish your business from the competition by developing a culture of sterling etiquette and ethics.
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Date: September 15
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Time: 11AM
Learning Objectives:
- Ways to improve etiquette in specific areas of the workplace
- Best practices for developing an overall culture of etiquette in the workplace
- The importance of cultural etiquette awareness
- The significant impact of ethical behavior and decision-making in the workplace
- A process to self-evaluate decisions for the most ethical outcomes
- The evaluation of workplace scenarios to determine ethical approach
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Overcoming Cybersecurity Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
Cybercrimes have spiked during the COVID pandemic. In April 2020, the FBI reported an almost 300% increase in cybercrime cases. We are also seeing a huge increase of COVID-19 related phishing and business email compromise (BEC) attempts.
Unfortunately, small businesses are the most vulnerable cybercrime targets. Unlike large enterprises, small businesses may not have adequate resources to protect themselves.
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Date: September 17
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Time: 1:00pm
The key areas discussed will include:
- A threat landscape update with an emphasis on what has changed since the COVID pandemic
- Threat protection for small businesses focusing on phishing, smishing, business email compromise (BEC) and general cybersecurity hygiene for working and schooling from home
- A cybercrime and fraud/scam update since the COVID pandemic
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PATH FORWARD with Surgeon General Jerome Adams |
Hosted by: the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
When: Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. ET
What: A dialogue led by U.S. Chamber president Suzanne Clark on helping America prepare to restart the economy and get millions of people back to work.
Who: This special edition of Path Forward with White House Coronavirus Task Force Member Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams will focus on the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sign Me Up! Click here to learn more and to register now for the special edition Path Forward event with U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams.
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Forward NY: Official State Website for opening procedures and guidelines.
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Looking for Supplies: If your business is looking for hard to find protective products, we have created a list of businesses offering hand sanitizer, gloves, wipes, masks and other items.
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Now Hiring: Whether you are hiring or looking for work, we have a page dedicated to helping pair potential employees with employers.
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Webinars: Did you miss one of our webinars, you can find them all here.
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SCORE: Visit Scores Coronavirus page for webinars and useful articles for small businesses.
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To help the North Country reopen safely and meet the state and local mandates, The North Country Chamber of Commerce has created a comprehensive list of resources to navigate state and local requirements. Check out the home page for details. There is also a series of webinars available for businesses to help educate and provide answers to common questions.
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Have Questions? We're here to help!
North Country Chamber of Commerce
518.563.1000
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